More Fact Than Fiction
by CalMom72
Summary: Bella Swan is astonished to find so much of her character and life has been written into a book. She starts a quest to find out how much is fact and how much is fiction. Does the character of Edward exist as well, and if he so, will she find him in Forks.
1. Chapter 1

**A few weeks ago, I took a road trip to Forks with my family. The journey and the beautiful Olympic National Park inspired me to write again. Please enjoy and let me know what you like or don't like.  
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**Stephanie Meyer owns it all.  
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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 1**

The drive to Forks from my dorm room at the WSU in Vancouver was just under 5 hours, so I had plenty of time to figure out what I was doing. My little Civic was a great little car so I knew that the drive was nothing for her. Don't ask me why she's a she but she is. The tunes were on and my best friend was joining me on this little adventure.

Forks, Washington had no connection to me, or my family, but I was hoping that I might find some answers within the town. I knew that the lady who held all the answers didn't reside in Forks but she choose that town to set her story. Why I needed answers is a strange story in itself.

First off, I grew up in Spokane with my father, Charlie. My mom died when I was 9 so my dad and I relied on each other for everything. I learned to do everything that my mom did quickly, including the cooking. I worried that if I didn't learn to cook that I would die of malnutrition. My dad is not known for his healthy lifestyle. He's a cop so grabbing food while on the go is normal so most of the dinners that he gave me came out of a brown bag oozing with grease. The meals were easy. The housework was basic but done. My life has not been easy but it's been good.

I'd always been quiet in school, but an excellent student. My best friend, Emily is the only one who knows me to the core, and who I trust with every secret. Emily is nothing like me, or at least I think so. She is so outgoing, tall, blonde and athletic. Emily could easily hang out with any group at our school but she still sticks with me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a geek or nerd spending all my time in the library or chess club but I don't have a lot of time for extras. I really needed to get a scholarship for university because my savings just wasn't enough. Dad's pay covered all the basics with little extra to be had.

My routine through high school was very non-descript; wake up, school, lunch with Emily, homework, cook dinner, more homework, sleep and repeat. That routine was rocked to the core one afternoon in February of my senior year when Emily dropped a book on the table in front of me at lunch.

"_Have you read this?" she looked from the book to me a couple of times with her hands on her hips before I even glanced at the book cover. The cover was mainly black, with a pair of hands cradling a shiny red apple. 'Twilight' was the title, and I knew that if it wasn't on our English read list then no I hadn't read it._

"_Should I?" I continued to eat my lunch and mentally run over the algebraic equations that I knew would be on the test that afternoon. It was not unusual for Emily to overreact to even the smallest of things, so I wasn't fazed by her appearance that day._

"_Bella! The main character's name is Bella."_

"_That's funny, but not unusual."_

"_Her name is Bella Swan, and her father Charlie is a police officer." That definitely caught my attention. I turned and gave Emily my full attention. "She lives in Washington State, in Forks, and falls in love with a vampire." _

"_Okay the first part is really strange but I can assure you that I'm not in love with a vampire, Emily." I laughed. "You'd be the first one to know if I was." I finished my lunch, gathered my books and left for algebra._

_It was difficult to concentrate in algebra, which isn't unusual, but today was 10 times harder. I had read books with the name of Isabella in it, and sometimes even Bella but not my first and last name. The added twist of Charlie was just too freaky. Emily was totally justified in her overreaction today._

_After school, Emily gave me the book and insisted that I start to read it right away. She said that other than the coincidences, it was a really good book. I told her that I would get to it once I was finished my biology project. _

_When I got home that night, I kept the book close to me while I made dinner. As the spaghetti sauce simmered, I picked up the book and by 4 am I'd finished it. I was stunned. The author had not only used my name and my dad's but had described me and all of my faults to a tee. I was stunned at the similarities, including what my mom had been like. I was saddened as I read those passages because I ached for my mother on a daily basis still. Charlie was an incredible dad but as I grew older it became for difficult to talk to him._

_I reread the book a couple of times over the next few weeks. Emily tried to engage me in conversation about it all the time at school but I tried my best to keep my head in the schoolbooks, not Twilight. At night, in bed, it was another story. The image of Edward haunted my dreams. _

_There was something about the character that drew me in. I knew that me and every other girl who had read the book was envisioning Edward as their boyfriend but I felt that there was more to the character, deeper. I wanted to know what he was thinking through out the book. _

_I began making sketches of him, his angular jaw, straight nose, bronze tousled hair, and lean muscular body. Most of my drawings were landscapes and very amateurish, but the pencil would glide over the page as I drew him. I quickly filled one book and then another. His eyes haunted my dreams and were starting to disturb my waking hours._

_As final exams and university loomed over me I tried to push Twilight out of my mind. The summer went by in a flash as Emily and I prepared to go to Washington State University in Vancouver. We had managed to get in the same dorm building, just not as roommates, but that wasn't diminishing our excitement. _

"Oh my God, Bella. I can't believe how beautiful it is up here." Emily's voice brought me out of my thoughts. We'd just passed through Hoquiam and were now entering the Olympic National Park area of the peninsula. I'd been studying this area during my courses at WSU so I knew how picturesque the area is.

"There's a giant Sitka not far from here that we should stop at. I believe it's the world's tallest."

"Sure, Bella. Giant trees, that's why we're travelling this road." Emily was giggling in the seat next to me. We were traveling to Forks for the weekend. I kept telling Emily that it was to see the Hoh Rainforest but we both knew that we were checking out Forks because of Twilight.

We turned off at Lake Quinalt to check out the spruce, just to justify the trip. As a biology student it was amazing to see the forest and I should have stayed longer to make a good study of the area but I just couldn't. Emily probably would have killed me if I dawdled any longer at the tree. She practically sprinted through the forest to get back to the car.

We made idle chit chat for the next couple of hours, as we got closer to Forks. The scenery blurred past in a beautiful mix of deep vibrant greens with flashes of yellow and purple. I could totally see why Stephanie Meyer had based her book in such an exquisite location.

Approaching the town limits all conversation stopped and the atmosphere within the car changed. At the south end of the town we could see the 'Forks Welcomes You' sign and we pulled over into the parking lot of the Chamber of Commerce's visitor center and Timber museum.

Emily turned to me and we just looked at each other for a moment. "Where to next, Bella?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to those whose read and reviewed my first chapter. I hope you enjoy this one, and please send me a review to help me get over my pneumonia quicker.  
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**SM owns it all, and is very gracious to let us play with it.  
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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 2**

The Tourist information building was a small wooden building with the timber museum located next door. The surrounding area was a tribute to the loggers of the area with a small chapel to the left. You could tell by the amount of people around that Twilight was now the main attraction, but the people of Forks were very proud of their heritage.

Just outside of the tourist building was the red Chevy truck. "Hey Bella, there's your truck!" Emily yelled a little too loud for my liking. I really didn't want anyone knowing my name in this town. They would think that I was a freak who changed her name because of the book.

"Em, keep it down. Let's just take a look around and see what information they might have about Twilight, if any." If any, I had to laugh. They were ready for every fan that came through. Maps, information, t-shirts and about anything you could think of for Twilight and New Moon was there. We picked up a map of the sites, the Cullen house, Bella's house, the school, the cop shop and how to get to La Push.

As we stepped out of the building, there were girls lining up to get their photo taken with the truck. I'd said that I didn't want to get drawn into all the fandom but I just couldn't resist. "Here," as I thrust my camera into Emily's hands, "can you take one picture of me with it." Emily was laughing at me as we walked back to the car.

"I have to admit that I definitely prefer your Civic to that beat up Chevy. So what's first on the itinerary for the weekend?"

"I've booked us into a little motel on the main road, under your name of course. Why don't we check in and then get our bearings." There was a nervous energy building up inside of me, like an electrical charge that was waiting to find a point of discharge. I put it down to finally being in Forks and seeing where it all began. But honestly I was geared up in hopes that I would find the Edward to my Bella. How corny I know but I was so hoping that there was even a guy like that out there. No vampires please!

We pulled up to the Forks Motel, and Emily checked us in. I just couldn't imagine myself signing in under the name of Bella Swan in Forks. Emily thought it was hilarious.

"Hey Bell…"

"Don't even think about it!" The clerk behind the counter was staring at us like we were going to be trouble.

"About what, Bel…"

"I said cut it out. So help me God I will leave your sorry ass here." I stomped out of the office, glancing back to see the stupidest smile on Emily's face. This was going to be a long, long weekend if she kept this up.

We got to our room and unloaded our bags. I had packed very little, mainly jeans, sweaters, hiking boots and my 'chucks'. I was not a fancy girl, just like the other Bella, so my one backpack was just perfect. Not Emily though, she had a suitcase and an entire bag for her toiletries. How was I friends with such a high maintenance girl was beyond me? I swear if you melted Alice and Rosalie together you would have Emily.

Over the last couple of years I was really beginning to wonder if Stephanie Meyer had spied on my life just a little. I still couldn't comprehend how similar Twilight Bella and I were, and a lot of people around me started to notice as well, especially when I got to residence at UW.

_Fortunately Emily and I were in the same dorm, just not on the same floor. My dad helped me move my few belongings into my room a few days before classes started. I was not the first one there so I got the worst bed and the smallest part of the closet. _

_My roommate was the bubbly, cheerleader type, and she immediately squealed, yes squealed, when I introduced myself. And when my dad introduced himself, we had to cover our ears for fear that our ear drums would burst. I had hoped that I would end up with the kind of girl that would never be caught dead reading Twilight but I got the complete opposite. _

_The questions came strong and fast with actual quotes from the books. Jennifer was vibrating because her roommate was Bella Swan. It took several weeks for hurricane Jennifer to blow herself out. Jennifer was like a 'Jessica', including all the fluff, sucking up and back talk. She was not all bad but she definitely wasn't someone who I wanted to spend a lot of time with. _

_I spent most of my time in Emily's room on the third floor because her roommate was always at her boyfriend's place. One night as I was leaving her room, I slammed into a very hard chest as I rounded the corner to the stairs. Being the absolute klutz that I am, I fell hard on my ass with a very audible 'ohf'._

"_Hey I'm so sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." A powerful hand shot out into my face. I took his hand in mine and, with very little effort on my part, I was back on my feet again and staring into the most amazing warm brown eyes. Of course I had to look up, way up to meet those eyes but the trip was well worth it._

_I had to blink several times because there in front of me was Jacob, or at least how I imagined him to be. Tall, dark skin, very muscular and the most incredible smile, that was the man in front of me. I actually had to shake my head to clear it._

"_No worries. I can usually trip over a breeze so no harm, no foul." I tried to dazzle him with a smile but I'm sure that it came across more as a grimace than anything else. The laugh that followed was warm, friendly and like music to my ears. I don't make a habit out of flirting with guys because I'm horrible at it. _

"_Well, take care and watch out for those breezes and strange men lurking in hallways." With that comment he was gone. I never got his name and didn't see him again in the halls but there was something so familiar about him that in that one encounter I felt changed somehow._

_I couldn't believe how strange my life was getting. Twilight was starting to creep into every day of my life, whether I wanted it or not. Was I losing my sanity or were the fates trying to tell me something. I knew that I needed answers but I wasn't sure where to start. I had to focus on my studies so I wouldn't lose my scholarship, and there was no way some book was going to take that away from me._

_The rest of the year flowed with the inevitable ups and downs of the first year of college. I tried my best to avoid the whole Twilight connection, even go as far as introducing myself as Izzy sometimes just to avoid the conversations. My battered copies of the books were never far from my bed because no matter how many times I read them I was always drawn in like it was a long lost family tale. _

"It's still pretty early. Why don't we grab something at the coffee shop down the street? I would love to go for a walk around town," I said as I casually put the map of the Twilight attractions into my little purse.

"Sure we'll go have some pie and then just a walk. Bella, you don't fool me for a second." Emily grabbed her stuff. We left our room, walked the half a block to the coffee shop and noticed that the motel backed onto the high school. This walk was going to be a lot quicker than I thought.

During our coffee and cobbler, which was huge so we only ordered one, we talked about the outings that we wanted to take the next day. There were some great hiking trails not far from town near the Sol Duc River, and I was kind of hoping to stumble onto an interesting house in the woods as well.

One side of my brain, the sensible side, was interested in the area for the biological aspects and was chiding my other side for it's fantastical imagination and 'school-girl' giddiness of being in Forks. My mantra for this trip was 'It's not real, it's not real', but there were too many coincidences between the book and my life so part of me was hoping for the other characters to be out there as well.

After our cobbler, we walked to the school and even went past the cop shop and 'Cullen' house on the east side of the town. Emily and I took many photographs, and took turns posing in front of the house and the police cruiser. The 'Cullen' house was now done up for the tourists, including a message board from 'Esme'. The town of Forks was embracing the Twilight fame, which I think would be good for them if done right.

We sat outside our motel room to enjoy the last moments of the day. No matter what happened this weekend, the beauty of Forks and the peninsula would never leave my heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delay in posting. My laptop actually got stolen 2 weeks ago, with all my chapters. The police caught the punk kid and got back my laptop. It's been a rough time.

Twilight is Meyer's. Enjoy and please review.

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MORE FACT THAN FICTION

Chapter 3

We had made our arrangements to leave the Forks area many times. Each time we were stopped by Alice's visions. She was being very vague and was reciting anything and everything to keep me out during these visions. The only information she would give us is that something very monumental was going to occur shortly that would change our family.

The most monumental life-changing event, since our individual life-changing event, was the publication of the Twilight and New Moon novels. The idea that these books would describe our family, our way of life in such detail was astonishing. Luckily for us, the one aspect of our current life that Stephanie Meyer got wrong was that we were not attending high school in the area, and Carlisle wasn't working. Alice had warned us that this move would require us to remain in seclusion for a time.

I wondered whether Alice was aware of the events that would change our lives so drastically. Once the books were published, we were sent into panic mode. I was angry with Alice for not letting us do something about the situation prior. She would just tell us that the decisions were not final so she couldn't act on the visions.

There were so many things that could go wrong now that so much information about us was out there. The first issue was that we did not want the Volturi to assume that we had somehow cooperated with the author. Carlisle travelled to Italy immediately after to meet with Aro. The meeting was tense, as it always is with them but they were satisfied that we had not participated in the book. Upon his return, Carlisle recommended that we split up for awhile and move from the area.

This decision was difficult for Carlisle, and especially Esme. We had not been apart for a couple of decades, and she would be the one to miss us the most. Emmett and Rosalie were the first to leave. They were hoping for another honeymoon so they left for Sweden. I knew that Rosalie was actually looking forward to some alone time but she would never say that Esme for fear of hurting her.

After much deliberation, Carlisle and Esme decided to have an extended holiday on their island. Esme hated leaving her 'children' but we knew that it was for the best to spend time apart. The fact that some human who wrote a book was causing such distress within my family was gut wrenching.

That had left Alice, Jasper and I at the Forks house for almost two years. I was getting restless but I had come to rely on Alice's visions too much to just ignore them now.

"Edward, you have to relax. We will leave in just a few more days." Alice was dancing through the living room on her way to the back yard. "Come on, let's go for a run."

I would never understand Alice but I loved and trusted her. Jasper was already by the boulder in the back yard before the Sol Duc. Alice took off with a light bound across the river, and the only thing we could hear was her laugh. I gave a quick look at Jasper and then we were off. We landed on the other side and followed Alice's scent to a small clearing where a herd of deer was grazing.

"I have a feeling that we should feed now, boys." The sound of her voice was still lingering in the air when Alice took down a doe. Jasper and I were off after the rest of the herd.

As we made our way back to the house to continue packing up something caught my attention. The incredible scent hit my senses before I registered that there were two humans walking in the area. Jasper and I immediately took to the trees but Alice continued to walk in their direction.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I hissed from the treetops while I scanned the area for a visual.

"Oh, Eddie you worry too much. This is what we've been waiting around for. Follow me." She took off at a light run towards the house. Jasper was off after her immediately, the whole protect your mate thing, while it took me a moment to catch up.

As we approached the river again, I could see the humans about half a mile from the beginning of our yard. We crossed the river, and Alice began to walk in their direction like she was meeting up with old friends. Jasper and I were a bit more leery of the situation, and held back slightly. Alice stopped only a few feet from the humans and took to the trees with Jasper right behind her.

The wind shifted slightly and I was rooted to my spot by the most tantalizing scent that I had ever come across in my 100 years or so. I felt drawn to this human because if her scent were this incredible then the taste of her blood would be exquisite. I started to take some tentative steps when _'Edward, I would suggest you come join us before you do something you will regret.'_ Alice's words woke me from the trance that I was under. With a quick movement I was on a branch in the tree next to Jasper.

Another hint of her scent had me pinpoint their location. Two girls in their late teens were walking on one of the trails leading to the house. As they walked closer I inhaled deeply to distinguish their scents. My eyes were instantly drawn to the brunette, petite, classically beautiful, stunning in fact, with an amazing smile.

I felt a hand on my shoulder so I turned and growled at the intruder. "Hey, Edward I just wanted to stop you before you did something horrendous." Jasper was keeping me from her and I wanted to attack him. But I knew that I had to thank him at the same time. As my body was warring with my mind, her voice came to me like a perfectly balanced melody.

"Em, I'm pretty sure that I can see something up ahead." She was pointing towards the clearing that led up to our house.

"I have humored you for the past 2 hours. My feet refuse to move from this point, unless it is to start going back to the car." The blonde threw herself to the forest floor.

"Well, you can stay here but I'm just going to walk up this path just a bit further to check out that clearing."

Panic filled my chest, a sensation that I was completely unfamiliar with. I always knew what to do based on what others were thinking but now I was paralyzed with fear. As in that book, I could not 'hear' this girl so I was solely reliant upon Alice and Jasper to help me.

"Alice, what do we do? We shouldn't let her see the house, should we?" My voice was low so only Alice and Jasper could hear me.

As Alice stared off in the distance, I could see from her thoughts that it would not be good for her to stumble across us right now. I could tell that Alice was still keeping something from me but that conversation would have to wait. I watched from my perch as the girl suddenly stopped and looked around. She looked back at her friend and then towards the house direction again. After a brief internal battle, which was very comical to watch, she turned and returned to where her friend was sitting.

"Emily, I think you're right. We've walked too far today. Let's head back to the car." As they walked in the opposite direction, we dropped from the trees.

"Thank God, you finally came to your senses, Bella!"

_BELLA!_


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry for the delay in posting. Life is starting to catch up with me. Enjoy!**

**SM owns it all.  
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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 4**

Our hike along the Sol Duc River was interesting. I tried so hard to make comments about the forest but for the first ½ hour all I could think about was finding their house in the woods. Absolutely crazy, I know.

I didn't even want to say the family name out loud for the teasing that would start from Emily. I loved Emily to death but I don't think that she would have understood my search for the truth. How could so much of my character be true without even a hint of the Cullens being real? I wasn't expecting vampires to jump out of the trees at me but I was hoping to see a house that match the book's description, or even a guy that might be as handsome as Edward. It was a real stretch to think that these things would just appear in Forks when I wasn't even from Forks but I really wanted some of it to happen.

About 2 hours into the hike, I decided that my search was useless and that I need my head checked. I would visit First Beach, see how nice it was and then drive back to Vancouver, continue with my life and smile inanely at all the Twilight jokes about my name. Life would go on and my Twilight road trip would just be a weird but good memory.

Then something caught my eye just ahead on the path, the beginning of a clearing and a white structure beyond that. I left Emily sitting on the path, grumbling, to see what was beyond the clearing. As I continued up the path a sensation came over me, one that I couldn't quite explain. I felt that I needed to turn around and leave the area. I searched for anything that would prevent me from going further but there was nothing there.

My heart was telling me to continue on for something was waiting for me in the clearing, but then my whole body was saying to run away from the area. I took a few more steps when my body felt like it had hit a wall. I couldn't shake the feeling so I returned to Emily.

"Emily, I think you're right. We've walked too far today. Let's head back to the car." I didn't really want to go back but I knew that something or someone didn't want us around here.

"Thank God, you finally came to your senses, Bella!"

As we walked back I scanned the area again and caught sight of a flash of color heading in the direction of the clearing. It was moving to fast for me to get an idea of what it was but it seemed odd to me.

By the time we got back to the car, we were both exhausted but I felt like I had left something behind in the woods. I couldn't shake the feeling that we had been watched near that clearing.

We headed back into town for some dinner and to clean up from the hike.

"Okay Bells, next time you want to do a marathon hike you can do it without me." Emily fell onto her bed with a loud thud. I was worried that the bed was about to break given the force that Emily used. "So have you given up on your search for Edward now?"

"Emily, you just don't get it. Yeah it was a funny coincidence when the book came out with my name in it but there is something about how she describes Bella. It's so close to me. I can't believe that I'm the only character that she wrote about. What if there is an Edward out there wondering about me?"

"First of all," Emily sat up and stared at me, "I totally get what you mean about how Stephanie Meyer got you but that doesn't mean that some vampire is out there traipsing around looking for you."

"What do you take me for, a fool? I know there's no vampire out there waiting for me but what if there is an Edward, human, who is my perfect match?" Now that I had said it out loud I doubted everything I was thinking. I've never been a romantic person, or even a dating person, but if it could be that easy I'm sure every woman would want that.

"Bella…."

"No! That's fine, Em. I know what you think and you're right. I've been a fool. We've seen Forks; we'll go to First Beach tomorrow and then home. We won't talk about the whole Edward thing again. Maybe I'll be lucky and run into that hunk from our dorm again." I stormed off into the bathroom, not wanting Emily to see the tears that were starting.

We walked down to Pacific Pizza, beside the Outfitters, to grab some dinner. We were both lost in our thoughts or just didn't want to talk about it anymore. When we got to the counter to order, I saw the smile play across Emily's lips as she saw my favorite meal, Mushroom Ravioli, listed as Bella's mushroom ravioli. I chuckled and shook my head but ordered it anyway.

"Bells, why don't we go down to La Push tonight and see the beach at sunset? That way we can stop off at the Hoh on our way back tomorrow for a good hike." Emily was chewing her way through her pizza.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I think the faster I get out of here the better my sanity will be." We finished dinner, walked back to the motel and got my car.

The drive out to La Push was quicker than I thought. The 'No Vampires Beyond This Point' sign made me laugh. It was good to see that the area was going to benefit from the books. Who knew how long it would all last but I wished them luck.

As we drove through La Push to First Beach you could just imagine the boys running through here to the beach. The image of Bella and Jacob riding their motorcycles fit so well to the surroundings. The imagery of the books fit La Push much more than Forks.

As we parked by the beach and made our way down to the sand, I could almost sense the supernatural in the air. There was something other-earthly about the area that you just couldn't describe. The driftwood scattered on the beach, the waves crashing, the islands just off the coast with trees that reached to the sky made it all so much more real.

Given the time of year and the fact that most of the kids had left for the day, the beach was practically empty. We took our shoes off to dip our toes in the ocean and it was freezing.

"Bella!" I turned to see Emily running at me with seaweed in her hands. I took off running down the beach, which was very short lived as my feet had other ideas. I stepped on a small branch and took a header into the sand. I rolled over to see a handsome face with a huge grin staring down at me. I looked around to see Emily laughing herself silly.

"Do you need some help?" The stranger extended his hand. I was having a case of déjà vu because the boy from out university dorm could have been this guy's brother.

"I'm okay, thanks." I struggled to get up on my own, as Emily came over to check on me.

"Hey Bells, who's your friend?" I gave her the death glare as I dusted myself off knowing that Emily's flirting side was kicking into high gear.

"Paul, and you are?" And flirting by Emily 101 was now underway.

"Emily, and nice to meet you." As she gently touched his arm, "Thanks so much for helping my friend. She can trip over a grain of sand so I'm surprised she got as far as she did." She was definitely checking out the muscles under his t-shirt. Paul didn't have a chance when she started doing the whole doe-eyed thing

"Why don't you two join me and my friends for a bonfire? We were just starting it down the beach a bit." Paul was leading us a few yards down the beach to a group of kids. It was a mix of all ages but everyone was having a great time.

Emily and I took a seat on one of the logs, as the rest of group got the fire started and passed out some snacks. We made chit chat with some of the older kids while we toasted some marshmallows.

"So where are you girls from?" One of the older boys came to sit down next to us.

"We're just up for the weekend from Washington State. We needed a little road trip." Emily was enjoying herself and I was glad we came to the beach tonight. I'd been such a killjoy this trip but I knew that Emily wouldn't say anything.

This excursion to Forks had been a really bad idea and I owed Em a lot for putting up with me. Things would change when we got back to campus. The whole Twilight thing was going to be wiped from my memory and I wasn't going to mention it again. There was no Edward, no vampires, no wolves just a woman's incredible creative mind.

"Oh yeah, my cousin is at the Vancouver campus."

**Please review! Your thoughts mean so much to me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**CHAPTER 5**

"Will you please stop it!"

"No!"

"This is doing you no good. You need to make a decision because I can't see anything until you do."

Alice was giving me a lecture. I wanted to rip into her for all of her deception regarding the girl. I knew that I couldn't get anywhere close to her because of Jasper but I thought about it.

"You wouldn't do it even if you could. You know I was right to keep her from you. You would have run before she arrived and that would have helped no one." She skipped away from the window.

I was quickly making a very large ditch in the backyard from all of my pacing. Esme would kill me if she saw what I was doing to her garden. Three hours had passed since we stumbled on the hikers and I still couldn't get her scent, her voice or the vision of her from my mind. Alice had been very smug about my reaction and Jasper just gave me a sympathetic smile. He could sense my inner turmoil. I had wanted to chase after her but Jasper helped to rein me in. I probably would regret everything I'd say or do at this point, so that is why I have thought and re-thought every possible scenario with regards to Bella.

_Bella._

How could this possible be? What God was laughing at me now? That damn book had caused enough problems in my life already so how could it throw my 'soul mate' at me, if she was even that. The melodic sound of her voice, even for those few moments, is permanently etched into my memory. I strained to listen to her as they walked back to their vehicle. I knew I couldn't follow her but I had to know more. I had to know her.

"Finally." I could hear Alice sigh with relief that I finally made a decision. "They went to La Push."

I started towards the highway, on foot. Our vehicles were collecting dust in the garage lately because we really didn't want to stand out in the town. I missed my Aston Martin but there was no way that I was driving that around here right now. That book had really thrown our family off the deep end. Rosalie was really pissed at being described as such a bitch, which she really isn't. Alice was still trying to figure out how the author knew so much about us, and obviously we weren't the only ones to be affected.

_Bella._

First Beach was only a short run for me. I kept off the paths and crossed under the highway by the river. Thankfully, the whole treaty/wolf thing was a complete fabrication by Ms. Meyers. We had no enemies, except for some within our own kind, so the whole Olympic Peninsula was our playground. I barely noticed the drop in temperature as I came closer to the ocean. I could hear people laugh in the distance, and made sure that I approached the beach from the woods and not the town side. The smell of burning driftwood led me to the bonfire but nothing could mask the scent of Bella from me. The venom pooled in my mouth as I came closer.

She was sitting on a log near her friend and chatting with some of the Quillete kids. My eyes only glanced over everyone else as I focused on Bella. She was upset; even from my distance I could see it. There was a small crease on her forehead between her eyes but I noticed it right away. What had her worried? I wanted to cross to her and smooth the crease with my finger and take away her frown. Every fiber in my being was telling me to run to her and care for her but her scent and my venom had me frozen to my spot.

Bella and her friend left the beach after a couple of hours, and I followed them back to town. I turned into stalker boy with my hood up and my head down as I walked down the main street to get to their motel. I went around the back, by the high school, and quickly climbed a tree that was just outside their room. The fact that I couldn't _hear_ Bella was driving me to distraction. No amount of effort on my part changed the fact. I could only try to understand her more through her conversation. I was like an addict, eager to get anything.

They didn't talk much just little things about hiking the Hoh in the morning and how Bella couldn't wait to get back to her dorm.

"So who was that cute guy you were talking about at the beach?" I didn't remember hearing anything about a guy so I gave their conversation my full attention.

"Oh, I told you about him. The one that I literally ran into coming out of your dorm room awhile back. I have no idea who he is but I just really remember him, probable because of the wall of muscles that he was. I never got his name." Bella was very nonchalant about this guy.

"Well since you didn't find your Edward maybe you will find your Jacob." Emily was giggling at her comment but I was struck dumb by it. She had been looking for me?

"Don't worry I won't be taking you on any more wild goose chases for some fictional character. Twilight and all characters there in are now off limits. Got it?" There was anger in Bella's voice. I felt saddened and was totally confused by these emotions that I had never felt.

They got ready for bed as I listened intently for anything that would give me any information about the beautiful woman that was Bella. I stayed in the tree until all I could hear was the soft breathing associated with sleep.

Just as I was about to leave my perch I heard a small sound and then a mumble. "Edward, Edward." It was Bella. I softly jumped for the tree and peered into the room to see that she was still sleeping soundly and dreaming about me, or at least her version of me.

The run back to the house was incredible fast. The lights were all on when I got there. Jasper was loading suitcases into the BMW. "You better get in there before she packs your room."

"Thanks", as I ran past him into the house. Alice knew where we were going already. As soon as I heard Bella say my name I knew that I had to be near her so back to University we were going.

"We won't be able to get in this semester but at least we can enroll for next year. I wonder what I want to take this time." I passed Alice as I ran up the stairs to my room.

"You really are the greatest sister, but you already knew that."

"I know and you so owe me but it won't be a yellow Porsche. Yellow's so not my color, maybe red." I chuckled as Alice made reference to the book as I pulled my suitcases to pack.

Alice and Jasper left just before dawn to start the drive to Vancouver. We had sent a message to Carlisle and Rosalie to let them know about our move. I didn't elaborate on our reasons but I didn't want the lecture from Carlisle or to hear some smart ass remark from Emmett.

After closing up the house, as per Esme's instructions, I parked my car south of the Hoh entrance on a side road then ran back to the town to wait for Bella. My thoughts kept running in circles as I waited for her and Emily to get up for the day. The sun is making a rare appearance this morning so I know I need to get to the forest for cover but I stop and watch her.

Her walk to the diner is so short but she manages to stumble and trip over the sidewalk curb. I start to move in her direction so I can help but stop myself. Emily has helped her up, all the time laughing at Bella. Bella lightly punches her friend in the arm as they laugh their way to the diner. My heart is bursting with the image of Bella laughing and smiling, and my head swims with images of her and I being together.

My phone beeps in my pocket so I check my message.

_Stalker much! Get here soon. We need to find a place to live._

I laughed out loud and made my way towards the forest. Watching Bella hike the rainforest was going to wait. I needed to get myself to Vancouver because that was where Bella would get to know me.

**Thank you so much for your reviews. I hope you like where this is going and if you don't then let me know. REVIEW! Reviews equal consistent updates.**


	6. Chapter 6

**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**CHAPTER 6**

The remainder of the semester moved at a glacial pace. My interest in classes was waning mainly due to the fact that I had read all of my text books in my spare time, and I had a lot of spare time now. I had withdrawn from spending time with my friends, including Emily and was basically a shut in. My roommate, Jennifer had given up on trying to be my friend now, which was fine by me because I just couldn't fake being interested in her any longer. I felt bad that I wasn't making an effort but the feeling past quicker than it should have.

We were a week away from finishing our first year of university when Emily finally convinced me to go out with her to a local bar. Emily was trying very hard to find something to pull me out of my funk. I went to Emily's dorm room to get ready because Jennifer and her cheerleading crew had taken over my room tonight. When I got up to Emily's room the door was open and I could hear our favorite band blaring from the stereo, Muse. Muse was another one of those strange coincidences with Stephenie Meyer and me. Emily and I had a great laugh over the acknowledgements in Twilight.

As I walked into the room, Emily was dancing around her room singing Starlight at the top of her voice. As I watched her I couldn't help but smile and chuckle to myself at how carefree my best friend was. When she noticed me standing there, she grabbed my hands and started to dance with me. Her energy was contagious so I found myself singing along with her and Muse. When the song finished we fell onto her bed giggling.

"Well that was a wonderful way to start the night." Emily was trying to catch her breath. "I'm so happy that you decided to final crawl out of your hole for a little while."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep it up and I'll quickly go back down the rabbit hole again." I was trying very hard to be stern with her but it just wasn't working tonight. I rolled off the bed and made my way to her closet. "So what outfit of torture do you have picked out for me tonight?"

"Well Miss Poopie Pants, if you don't want to go anymore you can just leave now." Emily was starting to get pissed by my attitude. I knew I had been Debbie Downer lately and I had to change that around if only for Emily's sake. I only had one friend left and I didn't want to lose her too.

"I'm sorry, Em. I just…"

"I know. Ever since Forks you've been out of sorts. I really wish you had found what you were looking for too because being the only fictional character come true has got to suck."

"That's me, Cinderbella." Emily and I both broke out into giggles again. "Let's get this party started. Where are we going again?"

Emily told me all about this great little pub not far from the campus. It wasn't a club so we wouldn't run into Jennifer and her friends so I was a bit more optimistic. A pub was definitely more my style than a dance club. I could dance, unlike the fictional Bella, but I doubt I would want to without copious amounts of alcohol tonight, and I definitely wasn't in the mood to get drunk this weekend. Emily always dressed me up when we went out because she never approved of my wardrobe, something about faded blue jeans and hoodies offended Emily's sense of style.

By the time Emily was done with me, my hair was down and lightly curled and my makeup, which I never put on, was done to perfection but light enough that it was still me. For all the grumbling that I do about getting made up, I was very happy to have a friend like Emily, who cared enough to put up with me. The outfit was a little too tight for my liking but I wasn't going to protest anymore. Red leather pants and a black see-through blouse were topped off by a pair of high heeled boots. Thankfully Emily had instructed me to wear my best bra and thong so I was ready to turn some heads tonight. With Emily in her favorite jersey knit black dress and thigh high boots, we were ready to have an amazing night out.

The bar was a 20 minute walk, which scared the shit out of me in the boots, but I managed to make it without killing myself. Emily agreed with me that we would take a cab home just to be on the safe side. The place was full when we got there but luckily some of Emily's friends already had a table near the back. The pub was styled like an English pub with dart boards and import beers with the music just playing in the background. I felt really cozy which helped me relax almost immediately.

Emily's friends were people from our dorm who I had seen in the halls but never made an effort to get to know. There was Jason, Jessie, Andrea, David and Karla. Jason and Jessie were good looking twins and Karla was hanging on every word they said. David and Andrea were a couple who kept to themselves, mainly because their mouths were attached. We sat around chatting about our Profs, some of the more notorious people in the dorm and what we were planning on doing during the summer. Emily and I were heading back to Spokane for the summer so this was our last night out.

"Bella, do you want chuck some arrows?" Jason was leaning across the table to me. His blue eyes danced when he smiled at me.

"Arrows?" I wasn't sure if I'd heard him correctly.

"Darts. Do you want to play darts?"

"Sure, but I don't know how. You'll have to show me how." I got up slowly from my chair and went to grab my beer.

"It will be my pleasure." Jason picked up my beer and his and led me towards the dart boards. He placed our drinks on a high table near one of the board. There was someone sitting at the table reading.

"Excuse me." I leaned towards the gentleman sitting there. He raised his head and I was struck by the most incredible eyes. They were a color that I had never seen before. The lighting was low in the pub but I could definitely see that his eyes were golden. "Do you mind if we place our drinks here?"

"Not a problem." His voice was warm and melodic. I wanted to sit down next to him and just listen to him saying anything, even reciting the phonebook. I didn't realize that I was leaning into him until Jason tapped me on the arm.

"Bella, are you ready?" Jason's eyes had darkened and the two of them were staring each other down.

"Yeah." I turned to look back at the other guy as we made our way to the dart board but he was looking back down at his book again. Jason threw a couple of darts at the board to show me how to stand and throw. All three of his darts landed in the 20s. He brought the darts back to me, and I tried to mimic the way he had thrown them. My darts ended up in the wall below, above and to the side of the board. Jason was laughing lightly at my failed attempt. I swatted at his arm as I went to retrieve the darts.

For my next throw, Jason stood behind me to help me. He molded his body behind mine with his left hand on my hip and his right hand over mine as I gripped the dart. His breath was warm next to my ear as he explained how to throw.

"If you let go of the dart too early, it will land below the board. Make sure that you follow through with your arm."

As we went through the motion of throwing the dart I heard a sound like a growl coming from the table near us. Jason must not have heard it because he grabbed the next dart and held me again. The feel of his body up against mine was causing me blush. I could tell that he was enjoying himself just a little bit too much. The second dart landed in the 20 spot and I jumped up and down in delight. I looked at the table to see that the stranger was staring at me intently.

"I think I'll try the third one on my own." I threw the last dart and it landed right beside the previous one. As I went to the board to retrieve them, I could feel the golden eyes watching my every move. His hands were in fists on top of the table. I passed the darts to Jason, who hadn't noticed what was going on. I looked around to see what had made the man so tense but there was nothing but Jason and me around.

The man left his table I could see that he was tall with a broad chest. His face would be described as classical with a well-defined jawline. I couldn't see his hair for the hoodie that he had on. As he past me he inhale deeply and then his scent hit me. I closed my eyes and also inhaled deeply. There was something to his scent that drew me into him, and I couldn't pin point what the scent was. It wasn't like anything I'd ever smelt before but I knew that it would linger with me for a long time.

Jason and I finished off our game, with him winning of course, and I really did enjoy his company but I couldn't get the stranger out of my head. Our little group stayed for quite a while after that with me constantly scanning the crowd to see if he had returned.

When we left the pub, Jason, Jessie and Karla walked with us back to the dorm, so much for the cab. We laughed and teased each other as we walked. It was pretty evident that Jessie and Emily were getting along like a house on fire, and Karla was hanging off of Jason's arm. Karla had drunk too much and Jason was being a gentleman but rolling his eyes the entire time at me.

As we approached our building, I was overcome by the enticing scent again. I stopped where I was and looked around the area. I couldn't see anyone but I knew that the stranger was close by.

"Bella, are you coming?" Emily was waiting for me near the path to the building.

"Yeah." I walked slowly up the path, hoping that the stranger would step out from the shadows.

* * *

**Please, please, please let me know what you think. I'm a little behind on my writing because of family and work but I'm hoping to post the next chapter next week. If I get reviews I will write quicker!**


	7. Chapter 7

**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**CHAPTER 7**

It was a little sad packing up my dorm room at the end of the school year but I was glad to get back to Spokane and my Dad. My head was swimming with all that had happened these past few months. My depression since Forks was getting better and Emily was hopeful that the old Bella was coming back. I didn't quite have the same faith in myself.

I couldn't shake the sense that I had left something in Forks. Was it my optimism or faith that I couldn't be the only one in this faux world of Twilight? The encounter at the bar with the stranger had also left me with a sense of loss. I'd lost something but didn't know where to look for it. I could only hope that spending some time at home would clear my thoughts.

Dad was so happy to have me home. It was evident that he had missed my domestic goddess skills but something was definitely different in his world. Her name was Louise and she was a clerk at the station. They had been on a few dates already and were very fond of each other. It had been so long since my Dad had dated that it was endearing to see this side of him.

By the end of my first week home, Dad had invited Louise over for a barbeque. We did up some steaks, potatoes and salad. Louise was a lovely lady who was divorced with two grown kids. Her interests seemed quite well matched for Dad. She cooked, Dad ate, she cleaned, and Dad got dirty. I loved to see him happy but inside I could feel a knot of panic due to the fact that he didn't need me as much any more. I knew that this would happen eventually but right now I felt so fragile emotionally that I didn't want to face the truth.

One steady in my life that I was looking forward to was my summer employment. For the past 3 years I had been a day camp counselor with the City of Spokane. Being an only child, I had grown up wanting a younger brother or sister so being with the kids during the summer filled that void a little bit. Emily never understood why I would want to be around 'bratty' little kids, as she said it, all day but I got such a thrill out of sharing their tears and triumphs. So I spent my day with the 6 and 7 year olds at the camp, going around the city, doing crafts, playing games, swimming and just being a fool.

One day we were down at the Riverfront Park when it was overcast and threatening rain. The counselors had debated about going or not but the kids absolutely loved the park, the fountains to run in and getting to somewhere new. The morning was spent playing games on the grass and running through the fountain to cool off.

During the morning I felt like we were being watched. I was always a bit more paranoid about the kids when we were on a field trip but today the feeling was heightened. I kept checking the surroundings but nothing looked amiss. There were people all over the park but no one stood out more than the rest.

For lunchtime, we set up at the old German pavilion to sit and eat our packed lunches. I couldn't shake the feeling so I wanted to go for a walk to watch the group from a distance. "Trish, I'm just going to go for a walk. Something feels off and I just want to take a look around."

"Sure thing Bella. I'll keep everyone here until you're back." I was the senior counselor so Trish had to wait for me, which made me feel a bit better.

As I walked along the path towards the hotel on the other side of the river I kept checking back to make sure I wasn't being followed and also to see if anyone was watching the kids. I started to make a loop around the path back toward the tables but immediately stopped, as I smelt it again. The scent from the university, the stranger. There was no way he was here. But I would never forget that incredible mix of forest; clean air and a musky male scent that made my heart skip a beat. I scanned the area to find him but I couldn't see him. I cut across the grass to make my trip back quicker.

"Trish, did you see anyone around here that looked out of place?" I asked her as I jogged up to the table.

"Bella, I don't know who you're looking for but if it's the gorgeous creature, I mean drop dead gorgeous male specimen, that came by and gave me these then you are one lucky lady." She opened her hand to show me several dozen tokens for the antique carousel.

"Did you get his name?"

"No, he just gave them to me and told me to make sure that the kids and counselors enjoy themselves. His voice was like velvet. I would have thanked him but I couldn't speak I was so spellbound. Wait! You don't know his name?"

I spun around quickly to see if I could see him. "No, and I'm not sure it's the same person I'm thinking of."

He was long gone but the scent lingered in the area. I had to have been hallucinating to think that he had followed me to Spokane from Vancouver. "Well, I guess I know where we are going next." I stood on a bench and announced to the kids that we were going the carousel because of a generous anonymous donation. The cheer that went up was deafening.

The Looff carousel at Riverfront Park is my favorite place to visit. It's almost 100 years old and each horse is unique. When I was young I made my Dad send me on ride after ride just so I could ride the 'wild animals', the tiger was the best. I still remember the time when I was big enough to reach for the rings when the arm came down. You would grab for the rings, trying to get the brass one, and then throw them into a clown's mouth to win a free ride.

The younger kids sat on the inner horses and we, the counselors, spread ourselves out on the outside to keep an eye on everyone. The carousel always started off slowly but by the time the arm came down from the operator's tower it was going fast.

On my first try I managed to get a ring but missed the bucket on the other side of the carousel. As I approached the operators tower again I watching for the brass ring and noticed it just as I reached out and grabbed it. I yelled loudly that I got it. Everyone around was laughing with me and congratulating me. I looked back to the other kids when I noticed someone watching the ride from the sidelines. Before I could get a good look he was obscured by the center of the carousel. When I finally cleared the center he was gone but I could have sworn it was the stranger.

As the ride slowed down everyone was congratulating me and I was overcome with the exuberance. The rest of the afternoon was a blur of activity, including the bus ride back at the end of the day. These were the times that I loved my job.

When I finally dragged my weary body through the front door of the house, I was shattered, mentally and physically. The bus ride back to the center had given me some time to think and I was going around in circles. I couldn't understand how or why someone would follow me from Vancouver only to be anonymous.

"Bella, is that you?" Dad's voice echoed down the hallway from the family room.

"Yeah it's me. Are you in for dinner?" as I stared into the fridge.

"No, I'm heading out with Louise. She wanted to know if you wanted to go to her cabin with some of your friends. She's working with weekend and her kids aren't using it."

A cabin for the weekend with friends, sounds like an excellent idea. I was liking Louise more and more. "That would be awesome."

"Great! I'll let her know. You could probably go up on Friday night if you wanted."

Before my head hit the pillow that night, Emily and I had it all arranged with a few of our friends from high school, okay mainly Emily's friends from high school. We would leave the following night right after everyone finished work. Emily and I would travel up in my Civic and the rest would meet us there.

The weather was going to be hot and muggy so it was a perfect weekend to be near the water. I knew that Louise had a boat but it was definitely off limits because I didn't want the repair bill. Dad said we could use it but I wasn't comfortable with it because Louise had never shown me how to operate it.

As with every Friday night in the summer, the roads were packed with people escaping the city to get to the lakes. The drive would normally only take 45 minutes but with the traffic it took double the time.

Emily was catching me up on her week for the entire drive. I had no idea that working at Silverwood could be so interesting. Emily always razed me about the whole day camp thing but I could never understand her choice of summer employment. Like me, Emily was now so far up on summer employee seniority that she had weekends off, which for a summer job was mighty sweet.

Emily was babbling on about some big tough guy on the Tilt-a-whirl who couldn't hold down his lunch. She was laughing so much I could barely understand but my mind was also focused on a vehicle driving near us.

I had noticed this car enter the freeway when we did, and the only reason I noticed it was because of how beautiful is was. Whenever I would change a lane, it changed lanes too. I had seen enough sport cars in my time but never one this impressive. The black two door was behind us the entire way, and as I turned off the freeway it wasn't far behind.

As we pulled into the street that leads to Louise's cabin, I didn't notice the car. _That's too bad I would have liked to know its owner._

"Oh, we're finally here. That didn't take too long." Em might not have noticed the time but my ears knew exactly how long they had been assaulted for.

As I stepped from the car, I stretched my arms above my head and took a deep breath of the fresh air, and then froze.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

* * *

**Duh...duh...duh! Sorry for the cliffie but I didn't want this chapter to be horrendous or unfinished. Let me know what you think is going to happen next. My monster-in-law has gone home now so hopefully I can concentrate a bit more and get ahead so give me some ideas to help my juices flow.**

**Also big thanks for all the reviews this past week but the whole monster-in-law thing kind of prevented me responding in time. I'm hoping that I eventually get more reviews for this one than my first story, Out of the Shadows.  
**

**Have a great week!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**CHAPTER 8**

These months of watching and waiting were killing me. From the first moment that I saw her beautiful face it has haunted my thoughts. Her smell, her smile, her voice, her eyes and what I wouldn't give to get a glimpse into her incredible mind. I knew that it had to be incredible because the fates are not that cruel to have me fall for a ditz.

Alice and Jasper were constantly razzing me about the whole stalker thing but I wanted to know everything about her before I approached. Her routines, her friends, what she liked and disliked were all cataloged in my mind. Thankfully her circle of friends was limited so it didn't take me long to get all the information I needed on them.

The drive to this cottage was fairly short but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless in my vintage Jaguar. I know it's conspicuous but this was a larger city so I didn't have to hide my passions as much. I was following a little too closely but the final destination was a mystery to me so I needed to keep a visual on Bella's little Civic. As I weaved in and out of traffic on the highway I noticed Bella glancing in her rear view mirror. She was a perceptive one but I already knew that.

The day at the park was a tough one because I wanted to be closer to her but she was too aware of her surroundings, including me. My identity was a mystery to her but she was always aware of my presence especially when I got too close and she was able to use her over-active nose. As I watched her go for her walk, I knew that this was my only chance to do my little surprise. I had purchased a large quantity of tokens for the penny arcade and carousel because I wanted to watch the joy on Bella's face as she had fun with the kids. It was so endearing to observe how she interacted with these kids and how much pleasure she got from participating with their fun and games. As I watched her on the carousel, stretching for the rings, my long stilled heart gave a shudder at the beauty that is Bella.

When the Civic turned off the highway, I knew that I would have to use my other senses to keep track of her without being too obvious. She was already catching onto my scent, which in it's self is almost impossible for a human to do but Bella not only knew it but was actively searching it out. She was on to me so I couldn't hide out any longer, and I didn't want to, given my need and desire to be close to her now.

I pulled my car off the road and into the driveway of a house a couple doors down. From the exterior of the cottage and the smells surrounding it, I could tell that no one had arrived for the weekend but I would have to keep an eye on the situation. I didn't want to be caught off guard when my cover story gets blown when the owners arrive at their cottage.

There were 10 cottages on this private road, which backed onto the fairly large lake. The speedboats, water skiers and sailboats were gliding across the surface of the lake enjoying the final moments of the day's sun. My mind were to the whole twilight thing but I just found it hard to use that word anymore which was unfortunate given that fact that it was the best time for us.

I started to casually walk down the road towards Bella's car when I heard it, "You have got to be kidding me!" I chuckled quietly as she amazed me again by her overwhelming sense of smell. _I'm coming baby, I'm coming._

As I past the fourth house I could see her car parked in front of a red A-frame house with a sloping driveway to the front porch. Bella was looking frustrated and mad that she couldn't see me but could smell me. As I approached the property line of their house, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at me. Her brown eyes were wide and filled with emotion. I wasn't sure if it was curiosity or worry. I stood at the edge of the lawn taking in the incredible sight of Bella. I have always cursed by ability but at this point in time I would have given anything to have known what she was thinking as we stared at each other.

"_Oh my God! If that is the local scenery we are in for a fabulous weekend!" _Emily's thoughts were shouting at me, as I smiled at the girls. They were both stood still in the driveway watching me approach them from the road.

"Hello," I was casual as I stopped at the top of the driveway. "Just arrived for the weekend?" I smiled at them with my hands firmly in my pockets.

"Uh, yeah. We just..." Bella started to talk but she went quiet suddenly.

"Do you guys know each other?" Emily looked at her and then me. It was evident on her face that she was missing something. Obviously Bella never told her about our almost encounters which I found very interesting. Emily was definitely bewildered about Bella's reaction to me.

"No, but I would love the opportunity." I started to walk down the driveway towards them, making sure that my movements were slow and measured. I didn't want to give anything away yet I was eager to get closer. I got the sense that Bella was feeling very uneasy with the situation so I stopped a couple feet from them, and extended my hand to Emily.

"Hi, I'm..." Shit I hadn't thought about this. Did I want to introduce myself as Edward or something different? I didn't want to lie to Bella but I also didn't want her running for the hills with another Twilight coincidence. To hell with it, I wasn't going to start off with a deception. "Edward and you are?"

Emily's mouth dropped open, and then she broke out into a fit of giggles. I looked at Bella to see her eyes even wider and her mouth was hanging open slightly. I just wanted to hold her face and taste her sweet lips but that was jumping the gun. I needed to be her friend first, and I was prepared to take it as slow as she wanted.

"Is there an inside joke that I'm missing?" Emily was clutching Bella's arm and was trying desperately to catch her breath. _Not another Twilight coincidence._ _Bella must be flipping out right now_, Emily was thinking.

"No." Bella's voice was soft and uncertain, and then she turned away from me to get her bags from the car.

"Here, can I help you with those?" I extended my hand towards the bags. Bella didn't answer but Emily had recovered enough to answer.

"Sure that would be great. Do you live in the area, Edward?" She nudged Bella as we unloaded the car and carried a couple of backpacks and groceries to the cottage door.

"No, actually I'm just staying at a friend's place for the weekend. I needed to get away on my own for a bit." I was watching Bella's face as I was talking. I felt rude not looking at Emily but I couldn't tear my eyes from Bella.

"Who are you getting away from?" Emily was trying her best to keep the conversation going as Bella had become quite reserved.

After all this time watching her, I still couldn't keep my eyes from her beautiful face. Now being this close made me want to memorize every freckle and every fleck of gold in her incredible brown eyes.

"Isn't that great Bella? Someone else for our little party, if you're up for it?" Emily was trying to coax a response out of Bella but she was silent as she hunted for the correct key. She was struggling to get the key into the lock so I gently held her hand to steady it. The key went into the lock; turn and the door swung open all while my hand covered Bella's.

The sensation of holding her hand made time stop for me. We were in our own little bubble, and I didn't want it to burst. We stared into each other's eyes and the venom pooled in my mouth as I watched her lick her bottom lip. I wanted to take that lip between my teeth and…

"Well, let's get this stuff inside before anyone else arrives." Emily started to tug on the bags in my hand.

"Yeah, of course." I walked past Bella, who seemed stuck to the spot, and into the kitchen of the cottage. "Well, I should let you ladies get settled in for the night. Maybe we'll see each other tomorrow?"

"That would be great, wouldn't it Bella?"

I turned to see Bella had only just stepped into the cottage. It seemed that I affected her as much as she affected me. I slowly walked towards her and paused by her right shoulder.

"Until tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Bella." I slyly inhaled as I walked past her. I said good night loud enough for Emily to hear as I left the cottage. I was very conscious of my speed as I walked back up the driveway.

My speed increased the closer I got to my car. I would have to check the houses around here tonight to find a suitable place to stay for the weekend. I was just playing a part at the moment but I needed Bella to get to know me before any walls started to even crumble let alone fall.

The house where I left the Jaguar was still vacant so I decided to see if I could use it. I parked the car down the block a bit, in case anyone showed up tonight, and then made a very quiet entry into the cottage. My mind was overflowing with sensations from my brief meeting with Bella.

I slumped down into the sofa and rested my head on the back and felt my body tingle with the experience of touching Bella. Everything about her was that must more intense with proximity. This was going to be an exercise in restraint for me. My cell phone gave a ring from my back pocket.

"Hello Alice." Answering without checking the caller id.

"That went well. Now if only she'll talk to you then you might actually get somewhere." Alice was thoroughly enjoying this situation. I was usually the too cool for anyone in our family and now I was the frazzled one. After 100 years of existence, I was in uncharted territory for me.

"I'm working on it. Just give me some time. She will come around as soon as she gets to know me."

"Either that or she'll run for the hills because she afraid of your obsessive/compulsive behavior. You have to remember that to her you are a book character so it will take a long time to get the Twilight Edward out of her head before you can get there. Oh, by the way the next book is coming out next week. Be prepared." And with that the line went dead.

Once the sun had finally dipped down below the horizon, I made my way back to their cottage. There was a tree line beside the house that I utilized to keep myself hidden from the road and the girls. The cottage was quiet and I couldn't _hear_ Emily at all so I knew that she was asleep. I moved to the back of the house to find Bella leaning on the railing of the deck.

"I know you're there Edward." She was looking out at the water, not to the side of the house where I was standing, frozen. I was incredulous that I'd forgotten about her ability to know when I'm around. She was waiting for a response. I was unprepared for what happened next.

"It's okay if you don't want to come out but I really want to thank you for what you did for the kids at the park. They really enjoyed themselves…" so paused and let out a deep sigh, "as did I." I was watching her from the shadows. Her face was a mixture of joy and trepidation.

"I'm not sure you are who I think you are, or whatever that means, but I'd like to get to know you better." The time passed with no noise from either of us as she watched the water and I watched her. She eventually turned back towards the cottage but paused before she went in.

"Good night, Edward."

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**Thank you all for your reviews. Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply but I figured that you might want another chapter instead. **

**I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know your thoughts, good or bad.  
**

**Love you all, you're the greatest readers!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**CHAPTER 9**

I stood there in the dark for a long time. I couldn't believe what she just did and said. Who did she think I was? Could she honestly believe that I was THE Edward from the books? Has she been waiting for me to show up and prove to her that those blasted books were true? Maybe she was a bit too delusional for my liking. Should I be the one running for the hills in fear or is it just one more reason for why we should be together.

Did she want to be with me or was she just infatuated with the character? Did she want me to be THAT Edward or me? Do I just take it easy with her or turn the charm on? Unlike the character, I wasn't that virginal. I had spent time with women, human and vampire, but nothing ground breaking or long term. I've never been this focused on any women. It was usually the other way around. My family thought it was hilarious that I was portrayed as this timid, lovelorn teenager, especially Emmett. Oh the stories that he could have told.

The sky was starting to lighten to a deep purple but I knew that it was hours before the sun actually rose. All was quiet around the lake and the cottages so I didn't have to modify my movement. As I stepped back into the hijacked cottage my phone buzzed in my back pocket.

"Hey," was all I said into the phone. I didn't even know who was calling because I was still so stunned.

"Hey, man." Jasper's voice sounded concerned. "Alice asked that I call and make sure that you were okay. She said something about needing some man to man about women. I know she has to be joking because that's an area you usually don't need help with." I heard the humor in his voice but there was definitely an underlying trepidation.

"I don't know what just happened but it's new to me." I paused as I gathered my thoughts.

"You still there, man?"

"Yeah, I'm just not sure what to think. She knew I was there and just talked to me like I was a friend on the phone. She said she knew who I was. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" I wish that I could figure her out like every other woman but that was no way of getting into her head so I was just as lost as every guy out there. Obviously I had relied on my talents for way too long.

"What is he saying…" I could hear Alice in the background.

"Uh..." Jasper didn't respond quickly enough and a scuffle over the phone occurred.

"Edward, what the hell happened? I can't get a fix on you with her anymore. What did you do?" She was furious but I didn't know why my love life was of significance to her now.

"Alice what the hell is your problem? Why do you care?"

"She is the one, Edward, and I don't want you screwing it up with your cocky attitude. You've been playing her for too long and it's going to burn you. Now that I can't see you with her I'm worried that you already did it without me even getting to know her." She was seething with frustration and I knew it. I wanted to laugh at her but I knew she was right. Something was off and I didn't know what to do about it.

"Alice," I took a deep breath, "I need your help." I closed my eyes and pulled the phone from my ear because I knew what was coming next.

"FINALLY!" she screeched so long I'm sure the neighbors hear. "I told you, you couldn't do this on your own. Now tell me what you said to her tonight."

I sat down and told Alice all that had happened tonight, what Bella had said and how I froze. I swore that I could hear the gears turning in her head.

"Okay, it's not beyond repair. Now this is what you're going to do tomorrow…"

When the morning broke it was as Alice predicted. Duh! It was warm, muggy but overcast. A thunderstorm was going to be coming in later in the day but it was a perfect day for me. I didn't sparkle like a diamond but my skin was different in full sun so I did keep to shadows or overcast days. How the hell Stephenie Meyer got so close to the mark was beyond me.

I was waiting outside the local bakery waiting for it to open so I could pick up some goodies for Bella and Emily. Alice's idea was good, great actually and why I didn't think of it still eluded me.

Twenty minutes later, I was walking out with a basket, yes basket; full of freshly baked items that I'm sure would have made my mouth water if I was human. There was a line up outside now so it was good that I arrived early. Next stop was the farmer's market.

At 9 am I was knocking on their cottage door with my basket full of goodies. I could have had a red hood to finish the image but I was probably closer to the wolf in that story. I stood there with my swoon worthy smile waiting for the door to open. I could her Emily grumbling about who would be at the door this early in the morning.

Bella answered the door in her pajamas and man, did she make those little shorts and tank top look good.

"Good morning, Bella. I thought that you would like something from the bakery for breakfast." I smiled and presented her with the basket.

"Oh my God, Edward. This smells heavenly." She took the basket from me. "Uh, would you like to come in?" Her voice was low and timid. I walked past her and inhaled the scent in the air and it wasn't the baking.

"You're right. It does smell heavenly." I smiled at her and she lowered her head as a tell-tale blush spread up her cheeks. The smell of her blood rushing to the surface was staggering. I stopped dead in my tracks to steady myself. Her scent on its own was incredible but when she blushed it was overwhelming. I followed her to the kitchen, as she put the basket on the table and removed the cover.

"Oh, you brought us fruit and flowers as well. That was very thoughtful but you didn't have to do that." Bella was pulling the items from the basket and smelling the flowers.

"I thought that you deserved a little something after how rude I was last night…"

"What happened last night?" Emily walked into the room, took a look at the basket and then at me and Bella.

"Nothing." Bella and I answered at the exact same time. Emily's eyebrows rose so high that they were lost in her hair.

"Well, that's a pretty significant nothing." Emily moved towards the coffee pot but stopped when she noticed that neither I nor Bella had moved from beside the table. I'm sure that she could sense the tension in the air. "I think I'm going to go and have a shower. Call me when the coffee is made." She slowly backed out of the room like we were wild animals. I was feeling especially feral at that moment but it had more to do with the scent coming from Bella.

The silence in the room was broken only when we heard the door to the bathroom close. "So would you like some coffee since you were up so early?" Bella filled the coffee maker with water.

"No, I'm good without coffee. How about I clean and cut up the fruit? It all smelled so fresh." I had no clue how good the fruit was. I played the fool and asked the lady at the market to pick out the best fruit, and she was very helpful when she noticed my cash. I hunted through the cupboards for a strainer to wash the strawberries. Bella was putting the flowers in a vase. We walked around each other like we knew where the other one was going next. We never touched but I could feel the energy that surged whenever we came close.

I finished washing the strawberries and started cutting them. We didn't talk at all. I didn't mind the silence. It was such a rare treat to be able to hear only my thoughts and nothing else.

I watched as Bella picked up a peach, inhaled the scent and started to slice the skin. The juices started to run so she quickly licked the juice from the side of her hand. I stopped mid-slice to just watch. I was mesmerized by the sight of her tongue licking up the sweet juice.

"Edward, are you okay?" She looked over at me like I'd cut myself.

I took a quick breath in, "No, I'm good. Are the peaches good?"

"Oh, they are so sweet. I can't believe you brought us all this great food." She went back to slicing. "So you were there last night."

"Yeah, I was. I'm not…"

"Why don't we start at the beginning?" She stuck her hand out at me, "Hi, I'm Bella."

I gently took her hand, feeling the sticky peach juice on it, and brought it to my lips. I placed a kiss on the backside, "Pleasure to meet you, Bella. I'm Edward." I let go of her hand and just enjoyed the blush and sparkle in her eyes.

Our eyes were locked and I would have stayed there forever if I hadn't heard Emily approaching.

"I think I finally smell coffee." Emily walked into the kitchen and moved towards the coffee pot. Bella quickly resumed cutting the peaches, as I did with the strawberries.

"So what time do your friends arrive today?" I changed the subject so that I could take a minute to collect myself. I could tell by her body language that Bella was feeling the same way that I was.

"Oh, well I think they are supposed to be here around 11 or so. I think it depends on how good a night they had last night." Emily was busying herself with making coffee as we finished up the fruit. "So how do you guys know each other?" Emily took a seat at the table and snatched a croissant from the basket.

Bella looked at me quickly, not sure how to answer the question because we only just officially met but we both knew that was wrong. How do you casually tell someone that you've been stalking her friend for the last few months?

Bella startled me by answering for us. "We just officially met but we'd see each other around campus."

"Oh really. I didn't know that you went to Washington U, Edward? What are you studying?" Emily reached across and grabbed some fruit.

"Well last year I was just doing general studies but this year I'm transferring into Environmental Sciences. I'm looking forward to it." I looked at Bella and caught the slight smile that was hiding behind her hair.

"That's fantastic! Did you know that Bella is in that as well? This is such a coincidence, isn't it Bella?" I could tell that Emily was goading Bella into commenting but that she wasn't biting.

It was starting to infuriate me with her swings between shyness and bold confidence. I knew that she was struggling with the fact that I'd been stalking her, and she should be pissed at that, but also with the fact that we were drawn to each other. I could feel the pull so I figured that she could feel it as well.

"Well that means that Bella and I have a lot in common which is great. I have some running around to do today but I would really love to find out what else we have in common." I looked at Bella as she peeked around her hair. "Do you think I could take you to dinner tonight, Bella?"

"Uh…that would be great. What time?" She had stopped cutting and was smiling at me, which made my heart give a beat.

"How does 7 sound? We can have a late dinner."

"That sounds great. I'll see you then." The enticing pink had returned to her cheeks.

"Have a great day ladies, and I hope that you enjoy your breakfast. Until tonight Bella." I smiled at Bella and gave a little wave to Emily as I left the kitchen. I kept my pace casual as I left their property.

No sooner had I reached my car when my cell phone rang.

"She's back!" Alice squealed down the phone. "It worked like I told you it would. Just make sure that you keep your cocky self in check tonight. Do you know where you're going yet?" Alice was talking a mile a minute while I just enjoyed the sensation that Bella's smile gave me.

I knew what I was going to do tonight so I had some work to do. "Alice, Alice..." she was rambling on but I'd tuned her out. "ALICE!"

"Yes," I could hear the shock in her voice that I'd yelled at her.

"I've got it figured out, okay?" There was silence for a moment.

"Yeah, that looks good. Talk to you tomorrow." And Alice was gone.

Sometimes having a psychic for a sister was a real pain in the ass. I dropped into the driver seat of my vintage Jaguar. I had some preparations to make for my evening with Bella. I wasn't going to screw this one up. She was the one and I just had to make her see that.

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**A great big thanks to everyone who reviewed. Your words really do spur me on to get to the next chapter. Sorry for the length of chapters but my life is so hectic right now that I'm amazed I can get these out on a regular schedule. **

**What would be your most romantic first date? I'd love your input because I'm still formulating some details.  
**

**I hope you enjoy and please review!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry, sorry, sorry. I apologize for the 2 week gap. Full time work, horrible head cold and 2 busy girls has killed my creative juices. Some Starbucks and time alone was the only thing that helped.  
**

**I hope you enjoy. PLEASE let me know what you like or don't like. Like most writers I want the good, the bad and the ugly reviews. I have started on the next chapter so hopefully the gap won't be as long.  
**

**SM owns Twilight, I own a crazy cat and this plot line.  
**

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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 10**

I was dumb struck, literally struck dumb. I stood there in the kitchen finishing the breakfast on autopilot. I had no idea what had just happened. When I looked up Emily had the goofiest grin on her face, like the Cheshire cat. I was expecting the inquisition or at the very least 20 questions but she just sat there with a shit-eating smile.

"What?"

"How long have you known him?" She was pulling her croissant apart bit by bit.

"I only met him yesterday, just like you." I looked down and tried to hide behind my hair but Emily was having not of it. I could feel her eyes boring a hole into the top of my head. Emily was the master of getting information out of me with very little effort on her part.

"Fine!" I huffed out. "I've technically never met him before yesterday but I have 'sensed' him around campus and at Riverfront par"

"What the hell do you mean 'sensed'? Do you have some super powers that you're holding out on me?"

"You know the feeling that you get when you're being watched or when someone is around. Well, I've noticed that since late April and there is always this scent when I felt it."

"Oh, you mean that incredible musky male smell that comes from him. He has got to bottle that because it's fantastic."

"I know. But I never actually met him until yesterday afternoon, and now I have a date with him for tonight." As soon as I said it the panic started to creep up. I had no idea where we were going or what I was going to wear. I was out here for a casual weekend with friends not to go out on a date with the male specimen of my dreams.

"I can see the panic already and don't worry. I have some stuff with me that will work but let's enjoy the day first." As soon as she said that, I could hear a car coming down the driveway. Our friends had arrived and the day looked like it was going to be glorious.

As Emily ran towards the door I grabbed her arm. "Can we keep this between the two of us for now?"

"Of course. You're my best friend and I can tell that this Edward thing is freaking you out. No worries. I will need a blow by blow account of the evening later but mums the word right now." I hugged her hard and made my way to the door with her.

The morning and day were crazy. Our friends were enjoying the lake and the paddleboats that they took out. I did not relent about the speedboat because I just didn't need the headache right now.

Thankfully I was able to catch some time to myself because most of the people were friends of Emily's or friends of friends so I wasn't needed to entertain as much. At around 5 o'clock I snuck out of the kitchen area, where everyone was getting dinner together, to have my shower and check out what Emily had chosen for me.

I was lucky that the cabin was Louise's because I got the bedroom with the ensuite so I could spend as much time as possible getting ready. The cabin had 5 bedrooms so it was more like a house than anything else. Once I was out of the bathroom, I could hear the crowd on the back deck barbequing dinner. I looked out at the deck and thought about last night.

When I stepped out there to watch the stars I was not expecting a visit from Edward, then I sensed him there. I didn't know where but I knew he was close enough to hear me. I felt like I'd walked into a bad romance novel as I talked to him. No sane person talks to a guy she just met like he's an old lover but that's what it felt like. I felt like I knew him but that could just be the whole character thing. I would never be able to talk to him face to face like that so I had to take my chances. They obviously paid off because he came back the next morning.

As I sat on the bed, all I could think about was how unbelievable he looked standing there this morning with his basket of goodies. He was wearing long khaki pants and a tight fitting t-shirt that showed off his muscles to perfection. He is not a muscular man but you know that he is strong. His hair was short but an astonishing shade of brown or bronze almost. What took my breath away were his eyes. I didn't recognize them yesterday because I spent too much time looking down but today they were a shade of green that I have never seen before, green but almost clear. There was a sparkle in them that told me there was more than met the eye.

When we met yesterday, I knew right away that he was the one who was following me or should I say stalking me. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect him to be that incredible but when he introduced himself that was it.

Edward, seriously!

I could tell what Emily was thinking just by the look she gave him. I felt like I was spiraling out of control. There was no way that my life was turning into a teen fiction but there standing in front of Bella was the unbelievably handsome Edward. I wanted to scream but that would send him screaming for the hills.

So now that I had met him what was going to happen next? My overactive imagination was wondering if he was a vampire with extraordinary powers and that we would fight werewolves and societies restrictions, blah, blah, blah.

I was smart enough to not believe in all of that fantasy stuff but there was something in the back of my head that wished it was true. I had a feeling though, that reality would be just as interesting with him as the fantasy.

A little knock on my door brought me out of my reverie. Emily stuck her head around the corner. "Are you alright or do you need help?"

"No, I was just lost in my thoughts but I'm good. I love the outfit that you picked out for me." I looked down at the black dress shorts and blue silk top that were lying next to me.

"I know that the top will look incredible on you. It's so good with your complexion."

"Thanks Em." I checked the clock to realize that I only had 20 minutes before Edward would arrive. "Oh my God, I've got to get ready."

Emily helped me with my hair because I wanted to pin it up due to the heat. I wasn't sure where I was going so I had to do something that was good for everything. I kept my makeup light because it was summer and I couldn't imagine us going to a club or anything way out here. The best that was available was a local country-ish bar but I'm sure that wasn't Edward's scene. Like I know Edward at all.

When I was done, I stepped out to the front porch to wait for Edward. Emily and Katie were sitting there chatting. "You look great, Bella."

"Thanks, Katie. I hope it's not too much." My nerves were starting to take over my body. I didn't know what to do with my hands and I kept fiddling with my purse. I was not a nervous person usually but something about being alone with Edward was doing me in. I was just about to have a seat when I heard the purr of an engine approach.

I turned to look up the driveway to see the most exquisite vehicle I had ever seen, a green vintage Jaguar E type. The chrome on the 2-seated convertible was gleaming. As I stood there drooling over the vehicle, Edward stepped out of the driver's side.

"Oh my God!" I could hear the comments from Emily and Katie behind me.

Edward's casual but confident manner was exuding sex appeal of an earthquake magnitude. I couldn't believe that this sex god was coming to take me on a date. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a prude but I was promiscuous either. I have had boyfriends and sex but not as much as some girls.

I could hear Emily and Katie practically panting behind me. As Edward got closer I could see the smirk on his lips giving me the impression that he was used to this kind of reaction.

"Good Evening ladies," with a gentle nod in their direction. Then he turned his eyes to me. "Bella, you look exceptionally beautiful this evening."

I stood there like a statue as he lifted my hand to his full lips and placed a lingering kiss on the back.

"Thank you," was all I could choke out.

"Shall we go? I have reservations and I don't want to be late." He never let go of my hand as we made our way to his car. He opened my door for me, and continued to hold my hand until I was seated.

I watched as he slowly made his way around the front of the car. As he sat down next to me, I gave a small wave to Emily, who was still drooling, and then we were leaving the driveway.

Edward leaned over to me and brushed his lips next to my ear as he said, "I hope you don't mind if I drive fast."

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**Just a quick heads up, I might have to change the rating to M because this story is taking me on a bit more mature journey.**

**Love ya, SET  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 11**

The purr of the engine was pulsating below me. The Jaguar was an incredible vehicle. My Dad had always loved cars so I learned a lot by being around him so I knew what a special car this was. Edward changed gears like it was an automatic. He was so in tune with the car it was like he was the original owner.

Conversation was almost impossible since we were in a convertible, and when we entered the highway all I could do was watch him as he drove. Even in the convertible, I could smell him and it was doing things to me. Being so close to him was causing my body to tingle in ways it never had, and I knew it had nothing to do with the car this time.

He was wearing dark denim jeans and a lightweight V-neck sweater that was clinging to his chest. The sweater was so tight that I could see each muscle flex as he changed gears. My eyes travelled up his arm to his face, and that's when I noticed that he was watching me as well.

"Shouldn't you be watching the road?" I yelled at him.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I can drive this car with my eyes closed."

"Well let's not test that theory." I shouted at him and then laughed to cover up my nervousness. I never felt unsure of myself but something about Edward told me that he would make me rethink how I saw myself.

He smiled at me in a way that sent the tingles shooting through my body. I would have to be very careful with him, otherwise I was going to be in big trouble in a very short time. When I finally tore my eyes from his exquisite form, I noticed that we were travelling in the direction of Spokane again.

"Where are me going?" I yelled.

"You'll see." He smiled, and turned his eyes back to the road.

The rest of the drive was done in silence and very fast. We were within the city limits in less than half the time it would take me. Surprisingly, his driving didn't freak me out. As we drove through an area of the city that I was unfamiliar with my curiosity was peaked. I didn't expect to drive all the way to Spokane for our date but I had a feeling that nothing about Edward was going to be what I would expect.

The car pulled up in front of a non-descript brink fronted business.

"So we're here. Don't be fooled by the looks, this place has some of the best food in town."

As Edward got out the car, I readjusted my shorts and took a quick look in the side mirror before he opened my door. As I placed my hand in his, he pulled me up effortlessly but I was not prepared so I stumbled into his arms. My hands landed on his chest with my head down so all I could see was his chest and abs. My heart was hammering in my chest as I was surrounded by the heavenly scent that is Edward. I lost track of time as I stood there just inhaling him and enjoying the feel of his chest under my hands.

Just as I thought I could spend the evening standing there, Edward's hand lifted my chin up. As my eyes followed the contours of his chest to his throat and then his face I had stopped breathing. My body was screaming at me to throw my arms around his neck, run my fingers through his hair and devour his lips with mine. I started to move towards his lips when he took hold of my hands.

"Are you okay, Bella?" There was a playful smirk on his lips but his eyes were shining with a kind of devilment that I'd never seen before. I quickly pulled my hands from his and took a step back.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks! I guess I just lost my balance for a second."

"That can be dangerous with you, can't it?" He motioned his right arm towards the door of the restaurant allowing me to go ahead of him.

I wasn't sure how to take his last comment. I knew that he had been watching me but I didn't know how much he had found out. I'm usually a shy person so I found it very unnerving that he knew more about me than I did him. My imagination was going overtime last night trying to find a normal explanation to the situation but I was at a loss.

We stepped into the restaurant, the Wild Sage Bistro, and it was nothing like I expected. It was a far cry from the Sizzler that Dad and I would go to. After Edward informed the hostess about our reservation, we were taken to a booth near the back of the restaurant. As we were seated it was very obvious that the hostess was checking Edward out, with little to no notice of me. To my surprise, Edward was returning the favor. I don't know what I was expecting but that definitely wasn't it.

I quickly sat down and hid behind the menu. I was flabbergasted that he was openly flirting with another woman while on a date with me. That's when I felt a small pain in my heart. He was not the Edward from the book. The man across from me was not some mythical creature with the overwhelming urge that I was his one true mate.

The man sitting across from me was a red blooded male who thought he was God's gift to women with his body, his looks, his scent and his car. I was probably just some game for him.

I was getting mad with myself for thinking that this was some fantasy romance and not the stalking case that it was. I wanted to run out of there and just keep going until I got home but I didn't want to over-react, like I wasn't anyway. How stupid could I be for agreeing to going out with him on a date? My Dad had repeatedly told me to be wary of situations just like this. How could I get so dazzled by this guy with his looks and his romantic gesture this morning? Then again maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe he was just being friendly to the hostess. I don't know what he's like.

As I pulled out of my rambling thoughts when the waitress appeared to take out drink order. Before I could order my usual diet Pepsi with a lime, Edward had ordered a bottle of red wine for both of us.

"Uh, you know I'm not of age, right?" I've had drinks out before but never had a higher end restaurant. I really did not want to get embarrassed by getting carded.

"Don't worry about it. I'm old enough for the both of us." He chuckled little as some inside joke. "What were you going to order?"

"I think that I'll have the wild salmon salad." This was one of the few items on the menu that I knew all of the ingredients.

The wine came shortly after that and we ordered our food. I wasn't going to drink much because I know that my decision-making skills are always compromised by alcohol.

As I watched Edward drink his wine I was assured of one thing, he was not a vampire. The thought that he was prickled at the back of my mind since I met but now I knew that he wasn't.

"So Bella, tell me a little about yourself. I know a few little tidbits but I'd really like to get to know you." He placed his arms on the table and leaned on them to shorten the distance between us. The feeling within the booth was very intimate, and I started to feel comfortable around him again.

As I took another sip of my wine, I started to tell Edward a bit about my upbringing. I kept my information to some general basic stuff. I wasn't going to talk about my mom or anything deeper than what some friends from school know about me.

The waitress brought our meals and lingered a little too long by Edward's side, and the jealousy started to build in my chest. I watched intently as he smiled and flirted with this blonde, skinny, overly made up floozy. That's right I used the word floozy! I was getting mad and I could feel the heat radiating out of my body.

I finished my glass of wine and quickly poured more. By the time Edward pulled his eyes from the floozy, I was half way through my second glass and feeling very little.

"So Edward," I paused until I got his attention, "Tell me a little bit about yourself. Do you regularly stalk women throughout the state?"

His jaw dropped open for a brief moment. It was evident that I had caught him off guard and I don't think that happens often. My mood had gotten progressively darker as the dinner progressed so I wasn't playing the shy, coy card anymore. I wanted this date over and until it was Edward was going to squirm a bit.

"No, I have to admit that you are the first woman that I've taken my time with." He smirks at me and he's hoping that it works.

"Of course," as I lightly tap my forehead, "women just fall at your feet right. So I'm at a complete loss as to why you have spent so much time on me when obviously you have no problem getting what you want." The anger in my voice was quite clear now and I was beyond hiding it. If Edward expected me to just sit here quietly while he made passes at every other girl then he hadn't been watching too closely.

Edward was now looking dumbstruck but I didn't care.

"Edward, I would like to go home now." I finished my glass of wine, took hold of my purse and left the restaurant. Once outside the door, I leaned against the bricks and stared at the sky. I was willing my tears not to fall. I should have known that this date would end in disaster. I wonder who would have put him up to this because he was so far out of my league that this had to be a joke or something. As I fought back the tears, I heard the restaurant door open.

"I've done something to offend you, and I'm sorry." Edward was standing next to me but not touching me. I could feel the electricity between us but I was done. I just wanted to go back to the cottage, close my bedroom door and wallow in self-pity.

"Can you just take me home, please" I moved towards the car. Edward was waiting with the door open. I don't know how he got there so quick but I don't care either. I just wanted this night to end.

The ride back was even more quiet, just the sound of the wind and the other cars. We didn't attempt any conversation but I could sense when he was looking at me. His facial expressions told me that this was a completely new situation for him. I'm sure by this point in a date with Edward, they would be naked in his bed and the girl would be begging for more. Well it wasn't going to be happening for this girl.

When we finally pulled into the driveway of the cottage, I got out of the car as quickly as humanly possible. There would be no good night kiss, and this teen fantasy book was finished.

"Goodbye, Edward."

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**Thank you so much for reading. Half way through this chapter it started to take a darker turn so please don't hurt me. This Edward is just a little too cocky right now. I'm not sure when I will update next but I'll do my best to get another chapter up before the end of the month.**  
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**A huge thanks to those of you who took the time to review. It means the world to me.  
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**SM owns it all. I just play!  
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	12. Chapter 12

**I want to thank every one who reads my little story, and a big hug to those who review. To take a moment out of your life to let me know what you think is very precious to me.**

**I apologize for the delay in this chapter (and how short it is) but life has been extremely busy lately. I will not promise any time line for the next chapters because I don't want to disappoint. I would rather make you wait than post crap.  
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**Enjoy and let me know what you think. Hopefully I'll have more in the New Year.  
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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**CHAPTER 12**

What the fuck just happened? I take her on a romantic date and then just like a light switch, it's off. When she wanted to leave before even finishing her dinner I was stunned. I wasn't about to argue with her because if looks could kill right then I would be dead again. The drive back to the cottage was very strained. She wouldn't talk to me, or even look at me, and when I stole a glance at her I felt like I'd killed her puppy or something.

When she said goodbye and not good night I knew that Alice was going to rip me a new one. I had fucked up royally but I wasn't sure how. Okay, I'm not stupid I know that being nice to the waitress might have been over the top but I didn't ignore Bella or anything. I was just being my charming self.

As I sat in my car at the side of the road, away from Bella's cottage, I felt the buzz in my back pocket. Alice was too mad to even call. I was in total shit.

_What the hell did you do this time? Gone, completely gone!_

I let her know that I would see her soon, and started the car and pointed it in the direction of the university campus. It was going to be a long drive but I didn't see the point of hanging around Bella at this point. I was either going to have to change my approach or give up.

Giving up just didn't seem like a viable solution because there was something about her that I had to have. I know corny, teenage romance bullshit but I'm serious there was something there. The hum that was between our bodies was just too incredible to give up on. I've never felt that kind of electricity with a woman before. Over the past 100 years or so, I've felt a number of things with women but never that high-energy buzz that happens whenever Bella is near me.

As I travelled the I-82, all I could do was to relive the date and see where it went wrong. I know that I put on all the airs of being human. I drank my wine and nibbled on my meal, what little of it I had before Bella wanted to leave. I didn't move too fast or too erratic. I was playing my part perfectly. The thoughts of that waitress were just so vivid though. I could almost feel what she wanted to do to my body.

Damn it! That's where I went wrong. Cullen, you are such a fuck up sometimes. There you are trying to impress Bella and get her to trust you, and you end up mentally screwing the waitress. Alice is going to have a field day with me.

I've spent so much of my life living how I want to without thought or care for anyone else, especially a human. My life was so privileged when I was human that I didn't have to care much for those around me. My parents had my future planned out until World War I broke out. I, like most lads in England, was eager to join and fight for our freedom, and that's ultimately where I met Carlisle.

No easy death in a hospital for me. I was lying in a mud pit surrounded my boys that I barely knew waiting for death to find me, or a German to finish the job. My eyes flew open only when I felt the burn and the scream ripped through my throat. Carlisle took me from the battlefield and hid me in a French country house cellar until the change was complete. Our travels through Europe were incredible.

With so much death and destruction surrounding us back then my diet was not a vegetarian one, like it is now. The privilege that I had in my human left made me very arrogant so I fed on anyone that I wanted. Carlisle was unable to dissuade me from my new lifestyle, and being so much stronger than him, there was no way for him to stop me.

When we reached Italy we were welcomed with open arms by the Volturi. Carlisle had warned me about Aro and his collection so I was well aware of what was about to come. The joy in his eyes when he met me for the first time was palpable. I was something new, and at that time, my talent was very raw. I could tell that he wanted to mold me into something special but I had a taste of freedom now so I wasn't about to be tied down again by rules. Carlisle was able to persuade Aro that I was not worth the aggravation that I would cause with my disobedience.

As I made the turn off towards Vancouver, I wondered what Carlisle would think of my current situation. I was tempted to call him but I knew that I had to figure this one out for myself.

The scenery was wiping by the window, as I got closer to the house that Alice had found for us. The light was on so I knew that my arrival was anticipated. I pulled in behind Jasper's pickup truck.

As I entered the house I could smell vanilla, from Alice's favorite candle, and the unmistakable scent of sex. Obviously they weren't expecting me so soon. I took a seat on the couch by they fireplace and waited. Alice was a fickle person. She could be very motherly, like Esme, or she could be a spitfire like Rosalie. Most of the time it depended on how messed up her vision was.

I heard their bedroom door close, the soft pad of their feet on the stairs, and the gentle whoosh as they sat on the couch across from me. I opened my eyes and look at Alice. She was stony silent. I was totally fucked.

"Alice, I know that I screwed up. You don't have to lecture me on what I did wrong or how she'll never trust me now. I will do my best, actually better than my usual best to make this right." I looked between Alice and Jasper and waited for her to start.

"See Jaz, I didn't have to say a thing." Alice stood and was out of the room before I could change my expression.

"What the hell just happened?" Jasper was slowly shaking his head at me in disbelief.

I spent the rest of the night just chilling with Jasper. We didn't talk about Bella or really anything. It was the elephant in the room. After Jasper went to join Alice upstairs, I left to hunt. I needed something physical to clear my head.

I journeyed north to the peninsula again to my regular hunting grounds. There was something about the area that kept drawing me back. I really hated the fact that we had to leave our house there because of those books.

As I ran along the coast towards Forks my body relaxed as I let my senses take over. I could hear the deer herd to the east but what I really wanted was to the north. I took off in that direction and my mouth pooled with venom in anticipation.

After I finished off the cougar, I made my way back to the coast to formulate my plan of attack when it came to Bella. She was not going to fall for my normal tricks or just my sparkling personality, as most women did.

The pull to find a warm body for the rest of the night was strong. I quite often would 'visit' a woman during their sleep to satisfy my itch. Some times I would be the mysterious stranger at the bar to gain a companion but I never had to work hard. A relationship was never something that I sought so this situation with Bella was so new to me.

My only experience with building a relationship came from Carlisle and Esme. We had come across Esme when we were travelling through Canada during the 30s. Carlisle had removed us from Europe to put some distance between Aro and myself. Aro was sending spies out to keep a close watch on me so it was time to move on.

When we wandered into Alberta it was like entering the Wild West still. The province was so far behind Europe but the Rocky Mountains and the hunting grounds they provided were spectacular.

During our stay in Calgary, Carlisle became obsessed with Esme. Carlisle was working at the local hospital when she came into to get treatment for an injury that was obviously caused by her husband. I'd never seen Carlisle react to a human the way that he did with Esme.

His murderous nature came out, and I had to become the calming force in his life. At first I thought it was his sense of injustice but it was so much more. Carlisle had fallen for Esme within moments of laying eyes on her, and he wanted to eviscerate her husband.

Carlisle took his time, and in doing so he taught me some very important lessons that I haven't had to think about until now.

Bella was going to be mine, and to make that a truth I needed to visit Carlisle to learn again.

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**I know I was musing about taking this to a 'M' rating which will still happen in the next few chapters, if all goes to plan. Have a wonderful Christmas!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you all for your reviews and support. I hope that you still want to read my story. Sorry for the delay in updating but let's just say that the holiday season was not good to me. Next year I'm going to hide in my closet and just write!**

**Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things.  
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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 13**

As the sun rose over the mountains, I felt strange like a hangover. My body was humming with an energy that I was not familiar with. Bella did this to my body and mind, a faint throbbing at the back of my mind that was her. I knew where she was, where she would be within a month but I didn't know how to make her mine.

The journey to Brazil needed to start quickly. Carlisle would help me solve the puzzle that was Bella, or more importantly me and Bella. As I made my way to Seattle, I sent a text to Alice to ask her to keep an eye on Bella for me. I would be too far away to keep her safe and I wasn't going to let anything happen to her, ever.

When the plane touched down in Rio I sent a text to Carlisle to let him know that I would be joining him and Esme shortly. It was early evening and the streets of Rio were coming alive.

The women of Brazil always had a special allure for me. Their untamed beauty and sexuality was intoxicating, like a drug but they paled for me now. As I went to the docks, I searched the crowd for brown eyes and brown hair but none of them even came close to my Bella. _My Bella!_ I only wished it was easier done than said. I needed to clear my head and start on a new course.

I stood on the edge of the dock, clearing my mind and waiting for a few people to leave the area. I didn't need the police looking for a body in the water later. I dove into the water, a little warmer than my body temperature, and started the swim to the island. It was a short distance for me to swim, and I always found it comical how the sea creatures would clear out of my way. They knew a predator when they sensed one.

Approaching the beach I could see Carlisle waiting for me. The island hadn't changed in so long, which was perfect. This was Carlisle sanctuary, and if anyone deserved a place to escape to it was Carlisle. He was constantly looking after other people, human and not. Throughout my years with me it has always amazed me how many people come to him for assistance, and because of that fact I have always tried to sort my problems out on my own. Unfortunately my current problem falls outside of my experiences.

"Carlisle, thank you for letting me come." I was dripping wet on the beach, and Carlisle was impeccable dressed in light khaki pants and a loose cotton shirt.

"How could I turn you down? You sounded quite distressed when you called yesterday. I hope that it is nothing serious." He led me to the chairs on the deck.

"Uh, do you mind if I change first? " I pulled my sopping wet shirt from my chest.

"Of course, son. There are some clothes of yours in the back bedroom." I left Carlisle on the deck as I made my way to the room. After I changed and put my wet clothes over the balcony railing to dry I made my way back to the deck.

Carlisle was standing looking out at the water. I could see a boat traveling away from the island. "Esme decided to give us some privacy. She wanted to go into town to do some shopping. Alice gave her a tip about a certain store that she would just love." We went to the table and chairs, took our seats and just sat there. I knew that Carlisle was waiting for me to begin the conversation but I just wasn't sure where to start so I started from when he and Esme left Washington.

Carlisle's face was expressionless as I explained the reasoning behind Alice 's insistence that we stay behind in Forks for as long as we did. His eyebrow raised only a smidge when I introduced Bella into the narrative. I described my physical reaction to her and her scent and then paused for his inevitable response but it didn't come. I was expecting him to want more detail regarding the reaction and how I overcame the situation but all he did was smirk.

Smirk! It has been decades since I've seen that reaction on his face, not since…Esme.

At that realization I knew I was screwed. There was no running away from this problem, from Bella. The compulsion that Carlisle had for Esme was unstoppable, so to recognize that within myself was frightening.

I took an unnecessary breath and began to describe my activities regarding Bella since her visit to Forks. I was pouring my heart out about my feelings, my inexcusable behavior on our date and the realization that Bella was the one. I looked to Carlisle as I finished.

"Why are you laughing at me?" Carlisle was holding himself in from laughing out loud.

"I, I just can't believe that your mate is actually the girl from those books." I jumped up from the chair and staked away. "Edward, I'm only joking. I know that you came here to get my advice but you have to admit that it is just too coincidental."

I stopped at the water's edge and waited. I knew that this shit was just screwed up on so many levels. I saw the humor in the situation but it didn't make my predicament any easier. When I realized the number of similarities between my Bella and the book Bella I was determined to find the differences. I couldn't believe that I was being sucked into this parallel universe that was of someone else's creation.

"Son, I apologize for my reaction. How can I help you?" Carlisle stood beside me as we stared off into the distance.

"I need to know how to change my ways to make Bella mine. I have been a selfish being since I was born, even more so after my second birth, and Bella won't put up with my attitude towards women. I was so lost on our date that I didn't even realize the problems until it was too late. I've always been the perceptive one but without my ability I was like any dumb human fumbling my way through." My hands were firmly wedged in my pockets for fear of what I might do to my hair.

"Edward, you know my history and you were there when I met Esme so you know the intensity that comes with finding your mate. Alice and Rosalie were lucky that their mates were already vampires at the time of their meeting. To fall in love with a human is one of the hardest situations that we will ever find ourselves in. You have tempted fate for so long that I was being to think that it would take you another century before you found her."

We started to walk back towards the house, lost in our own thoughts. "Edward, I don't think that I'm the one who can help you with this."

I stopped in my tracks and turned towards him. My ears couldn't believe what they heard. Carlisle has always been the one to give me the best advice. Reality, as I knew it, was starting to twist in on itself. I could not even fathom the thought of having to seek out another, older vampire for this question. Carlisle was the oldest and wisest in our family, and there was no way I was bringing my problems to the Volturi, especially given the information in that book. If they found out that I was now lusting after a human named Bella I would be putting her life in jeopardy and that was something that I would never do.

"You have got to be kidding. There is no way that I would ever put Bella into that kind of danger."

"I don't think it will be that bad." Carlisle was staring at me like I'd grown another head.

"Not that bad! Have you lost your fucking mind?" I couldn't believe what my ears were hearing, and then I stopped using my ears. _I don't think Esme is that bad of an idea, son. I'm sure she would be thrilled to give you some advice._

Shaking my head I slung my arm around Carlisle's shoulders, "Sorry I wasn't thinking straight. Esme is a wonderful idea."

"Edward, I don't know what you were thinking of but this girl has certainly done something to you." Carlisle and I made our way back to the cottage to wait for Esme's return. I was too nervous to sit and relax so I decided to talk a walk around the island, and to check in with Alice.

I was making my second lap around the island when Alice got back to me.

_Still off the radar, but Jas has checked on her and all is good. Returning to school soon and is reading the third book._

Third book? I dropped my phone. There are more of these books about my life. What wonderful inaccuracies did she write about this time? I was getting a bit annoyed with how wimpy I was being portrayed.

I'm sorry but I would never mop over a human girl, even if she were my mate. I plan on taking what is mine, if she doesn't mind. Picking up my phone, I sprinted back to the cottage to talk to Esme. I needed to get back to Washington soon and I would definitely have to pick up some reading material for the flight.

As I approached the back of the house, I could hear Carlisle filling Esme in on my problem. I could tell that he was worried that I would be upset but his interference but right about now I was grateful for his expediency in the situation.

"So Carlisle has filled you in." I came through the back door and took a seat at the large teak table.

"Yes, and let me say how thrilled I am that you have found someone. It's just unfortunate that there are so many obstacles in your way." Esme patted the top of my hand like I was a small child. It was reassuring and maddening at the same time. I didn't need her pity. I just wanted her advice so I could move forward.

"Edward, you are aware of most of the details of mine and Carlisle's relationship beginnings. I get the sense that Carlisle was at a distinct advantage in his situation over yours. He had many years behind him and did not need to 'play' a role." Esme squeezed my hand gently because she could sense the anger that was starting.

"I love you dearly, like a child of my own, and so I say this to you as a loving mother. You hide your true feelings and put on a mask to conceal how lonely you are in the depths of your soul." She paused to give me time to react but I did not.

"You need to pull back the layers and show Bella the true Edward and not the façade that you have developed over all these years. We all know how cocky you can be and that will be to your advantage if you tone it down and lace it with a very healthy dose of humility."

We sat in silence as I digested all that she said and did not say. I knew that I had played a role with all the women outside of my family. Some wanted the villain, others the mysterious stranger, and some just wanted the sex but none of them really saw me.

"Edward, this will be hard. There is no right or wrong or quick solution but if you feel this way now, without getting to know her, then I think the journey will be worth the work." Her smile was gentle with all the motherly love that I had always felt. "Now go and get her."

I rose quickly from the table, shook Carlisle's hand and gave Esme a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much. I'll let you know how it goes."

With that I was out of the sliding glass doors, off the deck in two strides and making my way to the water's edge. Nothing was going to stop me know, except for Bella, and even then I don't think I would ever give up.

**Thank you again for reading. Please send me some love, or hate, with a review. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A big thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, and a big thank you to Jaenelle Masen for her extra nudging. I'm hoping that I'm back on some kind of regular writing schedule but with two kids, full time paid work, volunteer work and a husband (third kid, really) who knows what might happen.**

**Enjoy!**

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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 14**

The move into my new dorm was long awaited. This summer was pretty screwed up. It felt so strange returning to my Dad's house after having so much freedom all school year. Both Dad and me had to get readjusted to each other, and of course Louise threw in another element.

I loved the idea that Dad now had someone in his life but it was strange. I'd been the only woman in his life for so long that I just assumed that I would always look after him but not anymore. Louise was a lovely lady and knew Dad well so I had nothing to fear except that I felt left out in my own home. I don't think it's really mine anymore. Next summer travelling might be in order, maybe with a handsome stranger.

Speaking of strange, Edward was the strangest part of my summer. His appearance, or lack thereof, was the most frustrating, maddening, incredibly wonderful part of the summer. I just wish my ego hadn't gotten in the way of our date but I know I was in the right.

When I got a quiet moment with Emily I explained all that happened, didn't happen and the way he was with the waitress. Em figured he got off lightly. She would have dumped her drink down the front of his pants to cool off his horniness. I won't say that it didn't cross my mind but I'm not as brave as Emily is, and that's why she doesn't put up with crap from anyone. The remainder of the summer just flew by as I finished up with the summer camp and getting ready for school again.

"There! Last one." I placed my last box on the bed of my new dorm room, same building but new room and new roomie, Emily. At the end of last semester we had requested each other for our new dorm assignment and it came true. This year was going to rock, as long as I could keep Em's boyfriend out.

By the end of the summer, Emily had hooked up with a guy that lived in Spokane but who also went to our school. He was a pretty cool guy but definitely not my type, even though I wasn't sure what my type was anymore. Dave was a jock and his muscles were compensation for his lack of brain cells. He was what Emily wanted right now so I didn't argue with her. I'm sure by October it would change again.

I sat down on my bed, next to the box, and surveyed the room. It was a little bigger than last year and a couple of floors up so it was quieter. Em was arriving later tonight, my car couldn't handle both of our stuff, so I decided to spend the time setting up my side of the room. When everything was finally put away and my bed was made exhaustion hit me. I fell on top of my covers with a loud 'oomph'.

"Now that you're done with your room how about helping me out?" a deep, masculine voice said. I propped myself up on my forearms and stared at the stranger in my doorway. He was tall, muscular with dark, almost black, hair and a strong, tanned face. His deep brown eyes held a sparkle as he smiled at me, waiting for my response.

"Well, I don't know about helping you but I could totally supervise." I could feel the blush start to rise from my chest. I never flirted but there was something familiar about his guy so my usual walls weren't up.

"Whatever help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I am useless at this stuff, especially the whole bed thing." He was leaning on my doorframe just watching me.

I knew that he was using a line on me but I wasn't in the mood to call him out. This year I was going to be bolder and make more friends. I loved Em but I couldn't rely on her company all year. "If you're so useless, how did you manage last year because I know you were here last year?"

"Well let's just say I had friends last year that I don't this year." He walked into the room and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Jake and you are?"

I paused only slightly has his name registered with me. You have got to be kidding! I was never going to get away from this alternate universe that was now my life so I just decided to embrace it. I stood up, took hold of his hand and with confidence, that I didn't know I had, said "Hi, I'm Bella."

"Nice to meet you, Bella." We locked eyes briefly and there was something there that I just couldn't put my finger on. There was a depth to him that gave me the impression that we had known each other before. "So how about that help with my bed?"

I followed Jake to his room down the hall, knowing that this could lead to a very slippery slope. There were bags all over the floor and it was obvious that his roommate had abandoned him so I pitched in to help. This was the beginning of my new resolution. Jake and I chatted about school, the newbies that were arriving next week and what we were studying. Jake was here on full scholarship for football, and was studying business management.

"That sounds cool," I said as we pulled out his bed sheets. "What are you hoping to do when you graduate?"

"Well, I come from a small place up the coast and I would really love to make a go at a small repair business. I know I'm not going to the pros so I'm just going to take advantage of my scholarship so I can get an education. I'm the first from my family." He became very quiet as he talked about his future and family. He was shoving his pillow into the cover, and it quickly resembled a football not a pillow. I was impressed that he was looking to the future already. Most guys that I'd met lately where only interested in partying and getting laid.

We finished up the bed in silence. I wasn't sure where to go from there but I knew that I would love to get to know him more. He seemed pretty nice and grounded, which was totally what I needed after my infatuation with Edward.

"Thanks for all your help, Bella."

"My pleasure. Just try to remember how to for next time, okay?"

"You bet. I owe you one for sure." Jake walked me back to my room, under the pretense that he still had to get something from his car. We said our goodbyes in the hall, and when I got back into my room Emily was already there.

"Bells, I thought I heard your voice. Who were you talking to?" She was busy unpacking her clothes.

"Oh, just a guy from down the hall. He needed some help getting his bed made, just useless at it." I picked up one of her boxes and started to help.

"Couldn't make his bed or was trying to get you into it?" Em nudged my shoulder as we started to giggle. "It's so great to see you like this again."

"You're right. I promised myself to turn over a new leaf this year, and I'm starting with Jake."

"Jake!" Emily stopped what she was doing and just stared at me. I couldn't see her eyebrows for how far they went into her hairline.

"I know, it's getting ridiculous now isn't it." Emily knew that I didn't want to talk about the books and the way my life was getting sucked into it. I had picked up the third book but hadn't read it yet. I was so in lust of the Edward character so far that I didn't want that world to start crossing over into reality. With a Jake now in my life, I knew that it was becoming stranger and stranger.

The rest of the week was quiet for me. I read Eclipse and absolutely loved it, my favorite one yet, and got my schedule and books sorted for the following week. My classes were starting on Tuesday so I wanted to be ready.

On Saturday night, Emily invited me out to the pub with her, Dave and some of their friends. I was craving some company, since Em was never around now, so I jumped at the chance. As we left our room, Dave was waiting for us in the hallway; of course he was in the same dorm. "Ladies, we just need to wait for my roomie."

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming," a voice boomed down the hall, and then Jake turned the corner, stopped in front of us and gave me the most dazzling smile. "Bella! You coming with us tonight?" I nodded in the affirmative. "Great, now I can pay you back for all your help earlier this week."

I could see Emily looking between Jake and me and, since she could read me like a book, her face lit up with delight. She could see the spark already, and I could feel it as Jake and I walked side by side down the hall.

The pub was full with all the returning students so it was tough to get a table. One of Dave's friends had secured a booth at the back but it was a tight fit. Emily and Dave managed to squish together in the last available spot so that left Jake and me standing.

"Uh, Mike," Jake said from behind me, "do you think you could give the lady your seat." This Mike guy, who was sitting at the end of the booth, just looked at Jake and pretended that he hadn't heard him. Jake moved in closer, put one hand on the table and the other on the back of the booth. "Mike, I said let the lady have your spot, now." Mike definitely heard him that time and jumped up.

Jake leaned closer to me, "Bella, please have a seat." He waved his arm towards the now empty seat.

"Thank you very much, but you didn't have to do that." I was sure that my blush was as bright as a neon sign by this point.

"Yes I did. Mike doesn't know about manners so I just had to remind him. What would you like to drink?"

"Just a coke for me, thanks." Jake left the table, but not without giving Mike another hard stare. I looked over to Emily and she looked giddy. I smiled back and mouthed the words _I know, right_.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening. Jake and I chatted as best we could given the noise, and we even played a game of darts. I was so relaxed and comfortable with Jake. There was a warm feeling in me when he was around. I was amazed by how much a gentleman he was, and that was so rare to find in guys our age. He made sure that I always had a drink, that no one was bumping into and when we went back to the booth there was always a seat for me.

At the end of the evening, Jake walked back with me to the dorm. I had a feeling that I would be spending a lot of time with him, even if it was just to give Dave and Emily some time alone, and I was looking forward to it.

Jake said good night to me at my door and then left. I was a little upset that he didn't try anything but at the same time it was great not to have that kind of pressure, at least not right now. I could see myself dating Jake and hoped that it would happen.

I didn't see Jake on Sunday or Monday. I was melancholy about that. He was like a ray of sunshine, just like the Jake in the books, but he had the manners of the Edward. I had to stop comparing real life to the books or it was going to drive me absolutely bonkers, if only it was that easy. Even Emily had a tendency to compare the fiction to the non-fiction when it came to Jake and what little she knew about Edward.

There was a situation I hadn't thought about in the last week, Edward. As I laid in bed on Monday night I wondered if I would see Edward in any of my classes since he was in the same program as me now. I wasn't sure if I was upset or looking forward to seeing him again. I couldn't lie to myself about the physical reaction that he induced in me but neither could I sweep his arrogant, cocky personality under the rug. I just really hoped that our schedules were opposite one another because I wasn't sure how I would react to seeing him again.

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**Please review! Your thoughts really do help me getting the juices running. **


	15. Chapter 15

**I want to thank everyone for your reviews. I appreciate all of your thoughts and suggestions. I can assure you all that this is an Edward/Bella story so don't jump ship yet. I apologize for the long delays between updates but I am swamped with by my life now. I promise to continue with this story because at the moment it is my only creative outlet and I would shrivel up if I didn't do something creative. **

**Please enjoy and let me know what you think. I write as I go so sometimes your suggestions really help me.**

**Thanks!**

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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 15**

First day of classes and I was pacing the hall outside the lecture room like a freshman, when in actuality I've done this 'first day' more times than I'd like to admit. I used to loathe the charade of attending school when I was with Carlisle. I never understood his obsession with trying to fit in with the humans but this day was different.

The time that I spent on the island with Carlisle and Esme was educational. I'd never paid attention to the nuances of romance before. My looks and other skills always made the task simple, so having Esme teach me was an eye-opening experience. She was really enjoying the fact that I finally had a challenge ahead of me. At one point she was contemplating coming with me just so she could witness the struggle. When she saw my response to her thoughts, she shrugged her shoulders and said it's been awhile since she's seen something new.

My time on the island came to an end quickly. I needed to get back to Vancouver to get myself set up for the school year. Jasper had done his thing to make sure that we were all enrolled for the coming year. He decided to branch out from history so Political Science it was, and Alice was joining me in Environmental Science. I told Jasper to match my classes to Bella's but cooler heads prevailed, Alice. I would be in some of her classes and Alice would be in the others. Something in her manner told me that Bella would not appreciate stalker Edward. There would be no uninvited late night visits through her window for me.

I calmed myself and leaned against the wall beside the room. I was anxious to see how Bella would react to me, since I hadn't seen her after that horrific date. Esme had prepared me for the idea that she would want nothing to do with me after how appalling I had behaved. The silver lining to this situation is that girls usually give guys a second chance when the transgression isn't too grievous, or at least that's what Esme said. I slung my hook around that star because Alice's take on the situation wasn't as uplifting at the moment.

Alice told me when I returned that she didn't see Bella anywhere in my future at the moment, and that there was another guy sniffing around Bella but she couldn't tell his intentions at the moment. Never in my life did another guy ever pose a problem for me but that was then. Now I was nervous that my one and only chance was blown by an overly graphic waitress.

I pushed off the wall as I could sense that she was nearing the room. I turned my head in the direction of the people who were with Bella. She was at the back of a group of people, who were obviously students from last year, and didn't notice me at first. I stepped back from the door and moved down the hall to let the other students into the lecture room. As the crowd around her thinned out, she noticed me and stopped.

"Hello Bella," I said. I couldn't believe how nervous I was and how much I wanted her to give me another chance.

"Edward, I was wondering if I was going to see you today." She looked from me to the classroom door. "Are you in this lecture?"

"Yes, and I was hoping that I'd get the chance to see you today." I was trying to play it cool, even though I had her schedule memorized. "After you." I motioned for her to enter the room ahead of me. I watched as she made her way into the room, up the stairs and took a seat in the middle of one of the rows.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Uh, I guess not." Her voice was soft like an angel's whisper. I didn't take the seat right next to her because I knew she wasn't up for that yet. She shuffled around inside her bag, pulled out her laptop and settled into her seat.

From her body language, I could tell that she wasn't up for any conversation with me so I did my best to concentrate on the lecture. I couldn't tell you what the topic was but I'm sure that I could repeat it verbatim later if it was really necessary. As my mind wandered, my eyes were discreetly trained on Bella.

She was so different from the women that I usually went for that I wasn't sure why I was so drawn to her. She did resemble the book character a lot except for one major difference my Bella was always smiling, except when she would glance in my direction. I knew that my first goal was to have that beautiful smile aimed in my direction.

"Uh, I guess I'll see you later." Bella had packed up her stuff and was waiting for me to get up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Obviously I'm not tuned into classes yet." I slowly stood up, grabbed my bag and made my way to the aisle. "What do you have next?" Of course I knew that she had her next class with Alice but I never paid enough attention to know what the subject was.

"Physical Geology." She tucked her hair behind her ear as she passed me in the aisle. "And you?"

"I've got a spare. Just going to go to the library." In fact, I would be stationed outside her class watching Alice's time with her. Yeah, stalker Edward I know.

I followed behind Bella at a respectable distance. I could still hear those that were around her but no one really thinking about Bella, except for me. Now that I'd seen again after so much time I was struck by the effect that she had on me. Never in my existence have I been so distracted by someone's physical beauty. I have seen my fair share of beauty, especially in women, but I've never felt that beauty speak to me as much as Bella's does. The way she used her hair as a curtain, the gentle way she would tug on her earlobe when she was distracted, and how her eyes lit up with her smile were ways that made her beauty indescribable to me.

She arrived at her next class, and I continued walking past the door. I turned to see if Alice was already there when I looked straight into her smooth chocolate eyes as she stared at me. Obviously my respectable distance wasn't far enough. A gentle smile came across her face as she turned to enter the room.

_Nice stalking. Let me take it from here, okay._ Alice's snarky comments cut short my daydream about how incredible Bella looked in her jeans. The image of her exquisite ass as she sauntered into the room would be burned into my memory for many decades.

"Be nice." I spoke so low that only Alice heard me as she passed on her way into the room. I smiled at her and gave a slight wave.

_Go find Jas and just relax. I know what I'm doing._ Alice took a seat right in front of Bella, and that was the last that I saw of both of them as the professor shut the door.

As I wandered out of the building, I texted Jas to see if he was available and his reply was quick so I made my way to a quiet area of the common space. Jasper was waiting for me with a drink, a common prop for us, at one of the tables. I sat across from him and so started the waiting.

I have to laugh at myself sometimes at how pathetic I really am. I knew that I would be absolutely useless while Alice was with Bella in class. I wanted to know every little thing about their interactions but Alice would do her best to keep some of it to herself. It surprised me how many new and interesting ways Alice could find to keep me out of her head.

As the time wore on I was becoming anxious and it didn't take long for Jasper to help me out. "I don't know why you're so uptight about this girl." Jasper relaxed back in his chair as he watched me.

I stared at him intently, wondering whether he was just fucking with me or serious. He'd seen the shit that I've been through for the last few months so I paused to think about my answer. "You remember what it was like when we came across Alice don't you?"

Jasper had been with us for a decade or so when the two of us stumbled across Alice. At the time it seemed fated that Jasper would find her but as time went on we realized that nothing involving Alice was left to fate. Jas and I were driving through northern California in the late 50's when we saw her. She was sitting on a bench by the side of the road in this small coastal town. Somehow she found the only shady spot in this sleepy little town to wait for us.

As we approached she waved at us, as if we knew her, and we could tell immediately what she was. Jasper pulled over and I opened the back passenger door for her to get in. We would never normally do this with another vampire but there was something about her that both of us were drawn to.

"You two kept me waiting long enough. I was worried I would run out of shade." She settled into the backseat as Jasper and I just looked at each other. From that point on Alice was part of our family. Esme was happy to have another woman around to keep us boys in check but the game of cat and mouse between Jasper and Alice was almost torture to watch.

Jasper was trying to remind me what it was like to watch someone else go through that. I knew that I needed to relax and let this relationship progress as it was meant to, and it was meant to. Even with my idiotic attitude and actions, I was going to make this work.

"I get it, man." I grabbed my bag and rose from the table. "I'm going to take some down time before my last class. I'll catch you at the house later." I walked aimlessly for the next hour or so. My last class of the day was a social science course without Bella or Alice. I knew that I wouldn't be any good in the class but I needed to at least make an appearance for the first day. I'm sure after that I'll be able to coast for the rest of the semester.

By the end of the day I was antsy to see Alice and find out what had happened during their time together. I made my way home just a little faster than I should have, or needed to, because Alice wasn't there when I arrived. I walked through the door to be greeted with stony silence so I made my way to the top floor and my room. I needed a distraction so I turned on my music and started to sketch. Several songs later I heard Alice and Jasper enter the house but there was another voice with them.

I moved quickly down the stairs and stopped on the last landing and was quickly assaulted by the scent of my Bella.


	16. Chapter 16

**My apologies again for the long delay in updating. My life has been crazy to say the least. I received confirmation today that I have Celiac disease which explains a lot. Needless to say, I will have to scale back my activities until I start to feel better. I will continue with this story but have decided that the chapters will be shorter so I can update more regularly.**

**Please enjoy and let me know what you think. Things are heating up so the rating might end up being changed. SM owns it all.**

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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**Chapter 16**

Somehow by the end of the first day of classes I had slipped from a character in Twilight to sitting in the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. From the front of the house to the kitchen island, which I was currently sitting at, this house felt right out of Buffy. My grip on reality was slowing waning especially when I met Alice.

How absolutely ludicrous could my life get to go from leaving Edward in the hallway to meeting Alice in my class to being plopped down at the Summers' residence.

Meeting an Alice was a surreal experience but not has surprising as I thought it would be. She was bubbly but not in an annoying way. I could tell that she had true joy in her heart and was open and honest. I was drawn to her immediately, probably because I was in need of friendship.

I had not seen much of Emily since we moved back to campus. Her new boyfriend had monopolized her time so I began the New Year without an ear to bend so maybe meeting Alice for fortunate.

Alice sat down next to me and pulled out her book, which surprised me because most of us use laptops during class. As I stared at her book, she noticed me.

"Hi, I'm Alice."

"Bella."

Her chuckle caught me off guard. "Are you as fed up with those books as I am?"

"You have no idea." I took a good look at her and noticed the similarities between the book Alice and her. "Ever since they came out all I get is 'Oh, you're just like Bella from Twilight'. Do you have to put up with it as well since you look a lot like the Alice from the books?"

"You have no idea. My brother is an Edward so it's been even harder to avoid them. Thankfully here they don't bother us as much. We were living in a small town before so you can imagine the comments there."

The professor came in at that time so our conversation was cut short. Throughout the class, I was having a tough time paying attention to the subject. My mind kept wandering with the idea that Alice's brother was the Edward that I knew. A funny thought kept running through my brain that she was dating Jasper as well. I glanced over to Alice several times to notice how quickly she was taking notes. I knew that I would have to stick with her for this class otherwise I was going to be lost this term.

"Bella…Bella!"

"Yeah."

"Class is over. You were off in la-la land."

"Sorry about that." I packed up my untouched laptop. "I'm having a tough time getting into school this term."

"Do you have another class today?"

"Yeah I've got one more than I'm done for the day, thankfully." We walked out into the hallway and then stopped. The crowds were growing so we moved to the wall to stay out of the way. There was a strange sense that Alice and I were in our own little bubble.

"Did you want to come by my place tonight? I know we just met but I think that we could both use some friendship at the moment. If I'm being too forward just let me know but I would really like to get to know you better. We can bond over our mutual Twilight thing."

"You know, Alice that would be great. I really didn't want to sit in my empty dorm room tonight. Where should I meet you after class?"

"I'll wait for you outside your last class, which I should let you get to." She started to walk away then turned. "I'll see you in an hour or so." With a wave of her hand, she was around the corner and gone from my sight. I never did tell her what my last class was or where it was but sure enough she was waiting for me just like she said she would.

Standing with her was a tall man; no way could he be called a boy, with golden hair and the warmest of smiles. His eyes lit up when he looked at Alice so it was very obvious to everyone that he was hers.

"Bella, there you are. I want you to meet my boyfriend…"

"If you're name is Jasper then I really have slipped into the Twilight Zone."

"You've just crossed over to the Twilight Zone." With that statement Jasper started doing the da, da, da, da of the show's theme song.

Alice and I burst out laughing.

"I guess I should have given you a warning during class but I figured the whole Edward thing was enough. I swear that Meyers lady was stalking our family."

"Well you and I both because my dad is named Charlie and the last name is Swan. Maybe we should start a support group."

"Or change our names and move away." With that statement, Jasper's face became very solemn and the joking around stopped.

"Well let's head home. I'm sure we could use a pizza to drown our first day sorrow into." With that Alice and Jasper led me off campus and back to their home.

That leads me back to where I am currently sitting, the Summers' house. My hands are wrapped around a can of pop as I wait for Alice to come back downstairs. As I look around the house it's evident to see that Alice has done the decorating and it's much more than just a student residence. There is an absence of beer, dirty laundry and general stench from lack of cleaning. I knew that Alice and Jasper lived her and I wondered if her brother Edward lived her as well, and was it the same Edward that I knew.

Alice and Jasper were talking quietly as they walked back into the room. I could tell from their body language that they were arguing about something but I couldn't hear what. I nervously picked at the tab of the pop can as loud thumping was coming down the stairs.

I looked up and inhaled. My eyes went wide as I looked past Alice and Jasper, frozen in the door frame, to the man of my recent dreams/nightmares. I shouldn't be surprised that Alice's Edward was my Edward as well.

Edward walked towards me, past Alice and Jasper without a sideways glance, and stopped inches from me. Our eyes were still locked and I was holding my breath. The intensity of his eyes was pulling me towards him. I opened my mouth to talk but before I could get a sound out his lips captured mine in a searing kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. The chapters will be shorter but hopefully I'll be updating more often now.**

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**MORE FACT THAN FICTION**

**CHAPTER 17**

The heat coming from her mouth was intense. The smell of her blood just below the skin of her neck had a pull on me that I hadn't felt in years. This woman was everything to me and I was done with pretending to be something I wasn't. I pressed my body up against hers and went to deepen the kiss. My tongue grazed her bottom lip, and that's when I heard the throaty moan escape her. I wanted her, in every way.

"Well that confirms that the two of you know each other." The annoying chirp of my sister's voice broke through the spell. I gently released Bella's lips, rested my forehead on hers and took in a deep breath. Her scent filled every inch of my lungs and I was in paradise.

Bella tried to take a step back from me but I held her tight. I opened my eyes, caressed her cheek as I wrapped my other arm around her shoulder. As I pulled her to my side I whispered in her ear, "I've wanted to do that for a very long time."

"Yes, sister, Bella and I do know each other. Just a bit better now." I looked down at her face but she had turned it away from me. Her body was tense. I had overstepped her boundaries and was now waiting for the repercussions.

She pushed herself off of me, and I put up no resistance this time. I knew what was coming and didn't like where it was going.

"I don't know what's going on here but I have the feeling that I've been played." The anger was now coming off of Bella in waves.

I looked to Alice for guidance but her thoughts were just jumbles. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I have made a fool of myself again but I just can't stay away from you."

Her fists were balled up at her sides and I could see the tension in her forearms but before I could raise my arms in defense, her knee rose swiftly and made contact where I was most vulnerable at the moment. I dropped to my knees, playing it up a bit more than necessary but I knew that I deserved this, and she deserved the sense of accomplishment.

"Jasper, it was a pleasure to meet you. Alice, I would really love to get to know you but you need to keep your brother on a short leash."

With that I watched Bella walked out of the kitchen from my position on the floor. I heard her through the hall and then out the front door.

"Edward, I would kick you through the kitchen wall except for the fact that I don't have the time to repair it."

I stood up and looked at Alice with a questioning look. I needed to know if I had screwed it up completely. I needed Bella now more than ever and the thought of never being able to taste those lips again would probably kill me. My eyes were screaming at Alice for an answer.

"She's still in our future somehow. I don't know where her head is at but that kiss might have helped your cause somehow. Now I have to try and figure out how to keep her as a friend." Alice slowly left the room and went up the stairs.

"Edward, I don't know what you were thinking of but that was a damn bold move."

"Jas, if I knew what I was doing then I probably won't be this scared shitless." I just stood there looking at Jasper not sure what to say next. I knew he could feel my inner turmoil but I also know that he felt the strong feelings that I have for Bella. "What do I do next, man?"

"Right about now, I would let Bella simmer. That kiss really threw her for a loop too so just let Alice do her thing for a bit. It might be easier for Bella to come around more if you don't attack her as soon as you see her. Also a little something for tomorrow's class with her would be a good idea."

With that Jasper left the room and followed Alice up the stairs. I could hear the low murmur of their voices but I knew that it would be better to leave the house for a little while. I guess the lust charge atmosphere was a bit too much for Jasper to contain.

As I sat on the front steps, all I could think about was Bella's soft lips, her delicious floral scent that assailed my senses and the most incredible moan that had escaped from her. I needed to feel that again so I needed her to understand that this was not just some passing fancy. I wanted her to know all of me and be with me forever. Never in my life, human and vampire, did I want something so fiercely. I knew that I needed to take Jasper's advice and get a little something for Bella as an apology.

The next morning at school I was bouncing on the balls of my feet in anticipation of seeing Bella. All evening I worried about what I had gotten her. I left the house early so I hadn't seen Alice or Jasper since the night before. I was waiting just outside of our first class when I felt her presence before she turned the corner.

She stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw me. I could sense her hesitation as approaching me. She gave me a gentle smile as our eyes made contact. The warmth that spread through my body just from her smile was the most incredible feeling.

We approached each other slowly, paying no attention to the other people in the hallway, and stop a foot apart from each other.

"Edward…"

"Bella, let me apologize. My behavior last night was inexcusable but I'm not sorry I did it. I would do it again in a heartbeat…"

"Edward!"

"But not without your permission. I will never cross that line again until you want me to. Please accept this little gift as part of my apology."

I handed her the small bag and then went into the classroom, taking a chair near the back. I could hear the gasp from the hallway and knew that I had chosen correctly.


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